The New York Times
How a Visual Language Evolves as Our World Does Illustration & Animation

I designed the animated graphics for a New York Times article on how video technology and social media have facilitated the creation and dissemination of new signs in ASL. I collaborated with AD Eden Weingart and Videographer Mohamed Sadek, who conducted interviews with the deaf community to produce the footage.

This is one well-known older sign for “dog,” which evokes the act of calling a pet to your side. It takes up more space and isn’t easy to see on small screens.

A newer, tighter version of the sign is based on the finger spelling of the word. The letters “D” and “G” are repeated twice, making the sign also look like a person snapping for a dog’s attention.

The sign that April Jackson-Woodard’s grandfather uses for “ice cream” looks a little like someone scooping soup from a bowl. It’s a sign that has been used in Black American Sign Language.

But most of the time, Ms. Jackson-Woodard and her family (including her daughter) sign “ice cream” as if they are licking it off a cone, which is the common sign in ASL.

One older sign for “privilege” could also mean “benefit,” “gain,” “credit” or “profit.” It looks like putting a dollar into a shirt pocket.

A newer sign visually represents someone being raised up, or put ahead, and is reminiscent of the ASL sign for “inequality.”

Project

“How a Visual Language Evolves as Our World Does” Illustration & Animation

Client

New York Times

Summary
Animation, Illustration