☛ J O U R N E Y O N
Art Direction ✧ Motion Graphics ✧ Product Design ✧ Editorial Design ✧ Copywriting
Journey On guides people through the logistical and emotional hardships of the death of a loved one, so that you’re empowered to make informed decisions during times of emotional distress and can finally begin to heal.
Journey on is a series of personalized checklists and guided tools to help people navigate the death of a loved one, housed in an easily accessible online resource. Users can make an account and securely save guides, store information, and share them with others via joint accounts. We offer a linked timeline management tool to help stay on top of time-sensitive plans and figure out what comes next. Users can also purchase spirited merchandise and organizational supplies through our online store or attend locally organized Journey On events to bring the online experience offline.
The following are bits and bobs from my graduate thesis from the School of Visual Arts. View the full presentation here!
Before my dad died, I had no prior experience with death. I never thought about death, much less talked about it. Death seems so far away until it’s right in front of you.
But the presence of my dad’s unexpected death was felt in the mess that we were suddenly left with. Throwing together last minute plans, digging through paperwork, and paying unanticipated expenses, the wake of my dad's death was costly, confusing, and complicated.
But it doesn't need to be.
Journey On guides people through the logistical and emotional hardships of the death of a loved one, so that you’re empowered to make informed decisions during times of emotional distress and can finally begin to heal.
We break everything down in our Survival Guides, downloadable, printable checklists that walk people through small, actionable measures. We provide the templates and tools to collect and organize information for easy access, as well as organizing guides by subject for convenient searching. Journey On is an all-encompassing companion guide before, during, and after a death.
People can personalize their guides with a simple survey.
When someone dies we often avoid saying their names as it’s a painful reminder of their absence. But by having their name continually present, Journey On’s unique name customization feature helps people acknowledge this last act of care and love. When they make an account with Journey On, they can save all their information in one place, and share it with others with a secure link.
With an account, people can manage their progress with a to-do list and timeline to help keep them on top of time-sensitive tasks. They can delegate and assign these tasks to fellow loved ones via their account. They can track their progress while unlocking spirited merit badges to keep them motivated.
Merit badges reward milestones of progress and achievement. Journey On’s spirited badges help people feel accomplished in the small steps they take, visually marking their progress. The icons are used on the guides, as well as digital and physical stickers, patches, and other merchandise.
The first phase of Journey On is an online resource, and in our second phase, we aim to expand to offline events. We’ll offer educational lectures given by leading professionals in the field, discussing subjects like debunking myths about death, explanations of funeral basics, and how to cope with grief. We will also host peer-to-peer grief support groups in the community, guided by our products.
To help users keep track of all the physical paperwork, we’ll supply them with organizational goods, including binders, folders, notebooks, and guides exclusive to this set.
While talking and planning for death can be heavy, it doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. We’ll also promote stickers, pins, and pennants as modern-day memento mori one can put on their laptop or wall.
