Shared Humanity: The Humans Behind the Headlines

My Role: Marketing Specialist, Creative Lead

Tools: Canva Pro, Adobe Illustrator

Timeline: May - September 2024

Background

The headlines surrounding current public health crises, including gun violence, can feel overwhelming and relentless, often causing us to look away. Too often, this means forgetting those left to navigate life at the intersection of grief and injustice. In the Yale School of Public Health’s “Shared Humanity” podcast and video series, the people behind these crises tell their own stories, discuss actionable solutions, and share insights on how we can best support them. Through compelling narratives and evidence-based perspectives, each episode empowers listeners to take meaningful action toward change and hope.

“Shared Humanity” is hosted by Nelba Márquez-Greene, Yale School of Public Health’s Community Scholar. A licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in grief, loss, and trauma, Márquez-Greene was named one of People Magazine’s “Ten Women Changing the World” (October 2019). Her daughter, Ana Grace, was one of 20 students and six staff members tragically killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Process

My first step was to create a cohesive marketing plan for the Shared Humanity podcast and video series. The plan outlined the overall video series and detailed the production and promotional needs for each episode. The goal was to have one episode per month where Nelba interviewed fellow individuals who have been affected by gun violence.

Each episode required:

Episode name
Episode description
Podcast graphic
YouTube video thumbnail
YouTube video
Audio for podcast
Captions for video and transcript for audio
Short clip for social media

The plan also included an outline for website content, social media posts, graphics, and other promotional efforts, ensuring that every episode was consistently presented and effectively promoted across platforms.

Shared Humanity Icon

Before creating any visuals, we needed to establish a visual identity for Shared Humanity. I developed an icon that combined a heart with chat bubbles, symbolizing shared humanity, conversation, and collectively held empathy. This icon became a central element of the series’ branding and was used across all promotional materials.

Podcast Cover

Since Shared Humanity would primarily be a podcast, the podcast cover was one of the most important elements. It could determine whether someone clicked to listen. I conducted extensive research to inform the design, analyzing trends, audience preferences, and examples from similar podcasts to ensure the cover was visually compelling, meaningful, and aligned with the series’ identity.

Some design elements, such as incorporating Nelba’s headshot and using black-and-white imagery across episode promotions, were directly inspired by insights gathered from the research I conducted.

Design Materials