Media

ArtStudio Pro, Adobe Indesign

Target Audience

Patients and caregivers

Client

Shelley Wall

Context

This piece is part of a larger patient education booklet spanning a range of complex neurological processes and associated pathologies. I chose this topic as I was interested in the anatomy underlying speech production and comprehension.

Process

My first areas of research were Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, which are the foundations for the classical model of speech. In my piece, I clarified that this is the traditional theory of speech, in light of emerging evidence about these areas that provide more context to the deeper extent of their roles in the brain. 

My initial draft involved a left lateral view of the brain as the hero image, since this is the main side of the brain where both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas are located. I incorporated speech bubbles into the design of the layout to reinforce the main message in a creative manner. For my secondary image, I included a superior view of the brain inside of a person writing notes to indicate the location of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas relative to the different lobes. Lastly, I described the temporary aphasias that can result from damage to both areas and gave examples of sentences that were plausible for patients with these conditions. 

Initial draft.

I received helpful feedback from my peers and professor to incorporate speech bubbles in a way that adheres to the two-column layout in the style sheet and includes descriptive text about Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. I altered the speech bubbles to demonstrate speech leaving the mouth and entering the ear. I also removed examples of sentences spoken during Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia so as not to confuse the audience with demonstrations of incorrect speech. 

My secondary image seemed to elicit confusion from my viewers due to the irrelevance of writing to speech. I therefore decided to minimize the superior view of the brain to occupy an inset instead, and I replaced the secondary image with a simple editorial illustration of two people talking, which appeals more to a patient audience. 

With the additional space freed up in my layout, I was able to flesh out the speech pathway further to integrate other areas of the brain that are important in producing and understanding speech, such as the motor cortex, primary auditory cortex, and arcuate fasciculus. I felt that this would provide a more complete story for my target audience, and that describing the location of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas could be condensed into just a couple of sentences since the lobes of the brain are less important than the main narrative. 

When illustrating the sulci and gyri of the brain, I cross-referenced images of fixed specimens from neuroanatomy atlases and multiple literature sources, ensuring that all of the notable landmarks (eg, central sulcus, lateral fissure, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, temporal gyri, and inferior frontal gyrus) were present. 

Reference images for illustrating sulci and gyri of the brain.

When identifying the specific locations of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, the motor cortex, the primary auditory cortex, and the arcuate fasciculus, I cross-referenced multiple sources that had slight variations in their depictions of each region. I noted which of them matched the corresponding text descriptions of each region, as well as any general similarities across the different references. 

Reference images for regions of the brain related to speech.

When rendering the surface of the brain, I referenced images of fresh specimens. Veal brains were provided so that we could appreciate the texture of real tissue relative to the fixed brain tissue to which we were accustomed. I took note of the specular highlights on the cortical surface and ensured that the rendered portions of my illustrated brain would retain a similar likeliness and fullness. I excluded depictions of blood vessels and only illustrated the brain with the pia mater removed in order to create a didactic illustration. 

Reference images for a realistic brain texture.

Taken altogether, my final piece is shown below, following the provided style sheet for colour palette, illustration style, icons, and graphical elements: 

Final version.

The accompanying style sheet is shown below:

Style sheet.