Madison Marshall

I wanted to research the current knowledge people have of abortion access in Victoria. Due to the complicated nature of the subject matter, I wanted qualitative data involving written responses, and created visual activities for more quantitative results. The research kit I designed was in the form of a small printed booklet, including vinyl stickers designed for the visual questions. I used a vibrant pink colour palette to emphasise the nature of this being an issue that predominately affects women, but also to add a more playful tone to the experience. I wanted to take a non-judgemental, educational approach, so that I could get the most honest answers from the participants.

I designed a foldable zine that contains a summary of all the information from the campaign, with a poster on the back so it could also be displayed. In order for the zine to be foldable, it has to be cut down the middle, so I wanted to incorporate this cut into the poster design. I settled on the image of a c-section - an image that may be confronting for some - to grab the viewer’s attention and question whether they know as much about abortion as they do about birth. By portraying one of the more invasive sides of pregnancy, I want people to consider how normalised pregnancy procedures are compared to abortions.

One major issue with current abortion accessibility is the lack of abortion providers in regional Victoria. While medication abortions are more readily available thanks to pharmacies and telehealth options, surgical abortions still remain scarce for many regional Victorians, so I wanted to design a poster that would call attention to this problem. I designed a billboard that would be seen by drivers in regional Victoria, alerting them to how far they currently are from their nearest provider. This would encourage the viewer to empathise with abortion patients, who may have to complete that 3 hour drive to get a service that should be more readily available.

A big part of my campaign is an emphasis on discussion, but starting this conversation can be difficult for many, so I wanted to provide an anonymous option that could reach a lot of people, which resulted in this public bathroom poster. The walls of public bathrooms often end up becoming anonymous discussion boards between women, so I wanted to give a specific prompt about abortion to encourage a meaningful and honest exchange of information and experiences from the privacy of a bathroom stall. In this way, it could educate people regardless of if they then follow the QR code to the website to learn more.

I designed a website to be the main hub of all the information I presented, where people can both educate themselves and start a conversation through forum posts. The site is structured like a conversation, with the website menu asking the user “what would you like to know?” before listing a series of questions people would have. These pages were based on the information I gathered from my research kits, where I discovered significant gaps of knowledge (and interest) in: medication abortions, the location of clinics, costs, what happens after 24 weeks, and more. The website aims to provide information as clearly as possible, and points to many external resources for further information.

Part of the issue around abortion being a social taboo is the fact that it’s not very visible in the public sphere in any way, so I designed window decals that could identify clinics and pharmacies as abortion providers. By clearly identifying a business as an abortion provider of whichever kind, this could help lessen the stigma around seeking an abortion. It could also help potential patients know where their providers are for future reference so that if they do have an unplanned pregnancy, they don’t experience the initial confusion and worry over where to go for help.