"Time in Prison" information material
Overview
"Time in Prison: My Steps to Release" is an information material designed to support people during their time in prison and help them prepare for release. The material helps readers better understand their rights and responsibilities, navigate everyday life in prison, and take steps towards successful reintegration into society.
My role
In this project I worked as a information designer and illustrator. When I began the design process, the content was still being finalized. My role was to transform the written material into a clear, accessible, and engaging 100-page book by creating the visual system, illustrations, and print-ready files.
During the project, I also participated in a co-design workshop as an observer at Tallinn Prison, where inmates and prison staff provided feedback on the draft content and design. The insights gathered from this workshop helped inform decisions about clarity, accessibility, and the overall user experience of the material.
Visuals
My main focus was making the information easier to understand and navigate. I developed a user-centered visual system that supports readers through long and potentially challenging texts. The design uses clear hierarchy, supportive illustrations, and generous white space to reduce cognitive load and create a calmer reading experience.
Each major theme in the book is assigned its own color, which connects with a timeline visual running throughout the material. This system helps readers recognize different topics and relate them to the stages of their personal journey towards release.
We used differently styled sections to create better understanding and more varied and interesting text styling.
Each chapter has "Tips and tricks" sections with bulb icons to highlight the important.
The chapters end with "FAQ" type blocks that is formated as questions and answers to more frequently asked questions.
Most positive feedback from the inmates and staff during initial workshops and final feedback rounds got the income visual, that simplifies the payment system that was previously not well explained.
At the end of the material, everything ties back to the journey visual, giving inmates a place to write down most important dates and notes. Throughout the material and at the end of the book are some note sections, where the reader can write down what is important to them, making the material more personal and useful.
Supporting posters
In addition to the information material I designed A3 posters that reference the book sections and themes and to help inmates keep their different journey phases in mind.
