The goal of the site is to show overall state data and data for specific facilities within states on COVID-19 in the U.S. carceral context.

I looked at the design of books that deal with incarceration to define the visual identity. The orange colour, associated with US prison uniforms became one of the primary colours. Condensed typography was used to communicate the seriousness of the subject matter and the cramped conditions inside.

The homepage required a map visualization component which would offer a live overview of the cases, deaths and other data for the entire U.S. Users would be able to select different jurisdictions and rates for comparison. A bubble map offered this possibility but the bubbles overlapped each other and made it difficult to spot the worst affected facilities at a glance. Spikes have reduced area on the map vs. bubbles so it’s easier to tell which facilities are most affected without the need for zooming in.

The spike map became the key homepage visualization component and acts as the primary entry point for users to click on states and go to dedicated state pages. This way the spike map does not require zoom and is designed to offer an overview.  



I selected colours that worked for colour blind users and were muted to fit the subject matter of the site. The spikes have dark outlines so that facilities with low numbers are visible. The colours have reduced opacity which means its possible to see behind tall spikes that obscure smaller ones. Flat horizontal lines are used to represent facilities with values of 0 and "unavailable" facilities are shown with a small 'x'.



The state pages offer an in-depth view into the data for more advanced users.

Alongside the website I designed social media posts to inform and tell a story through data. The drawings are by an inmate called Mark Loughney at Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, whose work I came across and reached out for permission.