Lyme Disease
A poster and accompanying podcast on the effects of Lyme Disease.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States, yet there is still so much that is unknown about the disease. Untreated Lyme disease can lead to a variety of physiological and neurological effects, but it can present very differently between individuals, making it difficult to diagnose. This poster infographic and accompanying podcast aim to raise awareness about the disease, its effects on individuals and families, and how people can best protect themselves.
Artist
Lauren Raimondo (2020)
Artist Lens
For my media product, I decided to create an informative poster, with a link to a podcast so that people who are interested could listen and learn more about the disease. Since Lyme disease is not talked about often and many individuals have zero knowledge on the topic, I felt like an infographic with simple facts and information would be most helpful at this stage. I wanted to make it very easy to follow, as well as interesting to look at. I achieved this by not crowding it with information, but instead only including the most important facts. Considering the main goal of the infographic is to increase awareness, I made sure to include preventative measures so that individuals know how to best protect themselves against the disease.
The podcast sheds light on some more detailed information that is not presented in the poster and includes two “guests” who share their stories on how Lyme disease has affected their lives. I decided to include an individual who personally has Lyme disease, and a mother whose children have Lyme disease. The goal of the podcast was not only to bring awareness to the disease, but also to target listeners’ emotions. I felt hearing stories from people who have experienced the disease in different ways would cause listeners to feel more connected to the issue and evoke emotions from them that strictly information could not. The goal would be for these infographics to be hung in schools, including elementary schools, high schools, and colleges, as well as doctors’ offices and large public places in the U.S. The informative poster could also be emailed out to individuals by their doctors or local governments. This would reach and target people of many different age groups, which I feel is necessary because Lyme disease can affect anyone, and everyone should have access to helpful information regarding the disease.
Media
Digital and Audio