Visualizing Support: Illustrating for Connection

Project Overview
In 2023, Elkplan collaborated with Foundry in partnership with Drawing Change to create custom illustrations for the Parents Like Us handbook, a guide for parents navigating the challenges of supporting a young person with a substance use disorder. 

Purpose
Elkplan was able to visually support this handbook created by parents for parents, by illustrating important themes such as emotional resilience, communication strategies, and accessing support. These visuals were designed to complement the text, offering an approachable way for parents to connect with the material.

Outcomes
Elkplan provided a series of illustrations that supported the emotional tone of the handbook, offering relatable visuals that reflect the experiences, challenges, and hopes shared by parents. These illustrations helped reinforce the message that families are not alone on this journey and that support, understanding, and connection are within reach.

Impacts
The illustrations developed by Elkplan helped deepen the connection between the Parents Like Us handbook and its readers, supporting Foundry’s efforts to offer compassionate, practical guidance to families facing substance use challenges.

Accompanying illustration for the Parents Like Us Handbook