What is trauma-informed visual design?

This article references violence, sexual assault, mental health and suicide. If the information in this article makes you feel uncomfortable, you can stop reading at any time. You can also ask someone you trust for support.

Trauma-informed design is an approach that takes into consideration the lived experience of people who have experienced trauma due to exposure to difficult circumstances. For example poor mental health, suicide, domestic and family violence or sexual assault. Quality trauma-informed visual design reduces the likelihood that people will re-experience trauma when they engage with the content. Instead, it promotes healing.

What makes a visual design trauma-sensitive?

Trauma-sensitive graphic design supports the reader to feel as safe and relaxed as possible when viewing content that they might otherwise find confronting. The imagery, colours and layout is carefully considered and designed with those who have lived-experience of trauma in mind.

Photos and illustrations

Photography and illustrations can be powerful tools for evoking thought and emotion. For this reason, it is important that we choose or create images that evoke thoughts and emotions that support the reader to feel safe and that promote healing.

It’s important to give careful consideration to subject matter in your images and to steer clear of content that could trigger difficult thoughts or emotions. For example, when illustrating content for audiences who have past trauma relating to suicide, you should avoid depictions of objects that could be used for self-harming such as ropes or razor blades. For an audience who has lived experience of sexual violence, avoid photographs of people engaged in acts of violence or intimate touching.

Iconography

Iconography can be a useful alternative for photography. As icons are not photorealistic in appearance, they can be used to illustrate confronting concepts in a manner that is less emotive and more abstract. However, some icons can still be triggering, so it is important to consider the subject matter of each icon.

Colour

Similar to images, the colours used in a visual design can have a strong psychological impact. When choosing a colour palette, consider what thoughts or emotions your colour choices could evoke. For example, the colour red could remind people of the sight of blood. You should also think about the overall tone your colour palette has. Dark, muted colours may evoke feelings of sadness, while a lighter, pastel colour palette may create a more optimistic, hopeful feeling.

Layout

Another way you can create a visual design that promotes feelings of safety and healing is to use a simple and clean layout that is easy to follow. Layouts that are cluttered or difficult to navigate may cause users to feel overwhelmed. A well thought out, intuitive layout allows users to feel in control.

Questions to ask yourself