As Equals
The dangers of mercury in skin whitening products explained
Animated Explainer
Skin whitening affects people across cultures. Our goal was to design visuals that helped viewers see themselves in the story. We started with a monochromatic palette to reflect the stark tone of skin lightening products.
As Art Director, I helped shape a decolonized, accessible design language. We used collaged skin textures and simple hand gestures to guide viewers through facts and data. The characters were designed to be anonymous but relatable, encouraging a personal connection without reinforcing stereotypes.
To deepen the impact, we used frame-by-frame animation to visualize data as particles. These details gave the piece a sense of texture and weight while keeping the experience clear and grounded.
To learn more visit cnn.com
Editor: Meera Senthilingam
Senior Production: Ladan Anoushfar
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Agne Jurkenaite, Emma Beinish, Jue Gong Additional Animation: Patrick Gallagher, Taylor Su
Sound Design: Sofia Couciero
Awards:
2023 Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
2023 Society of Publication Designers Gold Medal
As Art Director, I helped shape a decolonized, accessible design language. We used collaged skin textures and simple hand gestures to guide viewers through facts and data. The characters were designed to be anonymous but relatable, encouraging a personal connection without reinforcing stereotypes.
To deepen the impact, we used frame-by-frame animation to visualize data as particles. These details gave the piece a sense of texture and weight while keeping the experience clear and grounded.
To learn more visit cnn.com
Editor: Meera Senthilingam
Senior Production: Ladan Anoushfar
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Agne Jurkenaite, Emma Beinish, Jue Gong Additional Animation: Patrick Gallagher, Taylor Su
Sound Design: Sofia Couciero
Awards:
2023 Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
2023 Society of Publication Designers Gold Medal
This piece follows Kyle, a U.S. soldier struggling with PTSD after returning from Afghanistan. It’s part of CNN’s Life After digital series, which explores personal change after trauma. The story aims to raise awareness about mental health among veterans and the need to challenge the stigma around PTSD.
As Art Director, I worked with the team to create a visual language that felt universal and accessible. We used silhouette animation to express emotion without focusing on a specific identity. This helped the story connect with anyone who has faced fear, grief, guilt, or isolation. The stripped-down style gave room for interpretation, while visual metaphors helped communicate the emotional toll of PTSD.
The animation used soft transitions and symbolic cues to reflect the internal struggle. These choices were made to show respect for Kyle’s experience while allowing space for viewers to see their own stories in his. The piece was released around Memorial Day weekend, a fitting moment to invite reflection and solidarity.
To learn more visit cnn.com
Supervising Producer: Jacque Smith
Lead Producer: Madeleine Stix, Katherine Jennings
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Kelly Flynn, Taylor Su, Agne Jurkenaite
Sound Design: Katherine Jennings
Awards:
2024 Emmy Nomation for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
2024 Society for News and Design Award of excellence in Animation design
2024 Webby Awards Honoree
As Art Director, I worked with the team to create a visual language that felt universal and accessible. We used silhouette animation to express emotion without focusing on a specific identity. This helped the story connect with anyone who has faced fear, grief, guilt, or isolation. The stripped-down style gave room for interpretation, while visual metaphors helped communicate the emotional toll of PTSD.
The animation used soft transitions and symbolic cues to reflect the internal struggle. These choices were made to show respect for Kyle’s experience while allowing space for viewers to see their own stories in his. The piece was released around Memorial Day weekend, a fitting moment to invite reflection and solidarity.
To learn more visit cnn.com
Supervising Producer: Jacque Smith
Lead Producer: Madeleine Stix, Katherine Jennings
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Kelly Flynn, Taylor Su, Agne Jurkenaite
Sound Design: Katherine Jennings
Awards:
2024 Emmy Nomation for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
2024 Society for News and Design Award of excellence in Animation design
2024 Webby Awards Honoree
CNN As Equals
Interactive
Being a queer woman in Nigeria can mean constantly watching your back, even online, for abusive individuals or gangs trying to catfish, attack and “convert” you because of your sexuality. CNN investigates the impact of this abuse, known locally as “kito.”
My role on this interactive piece, involved bringing the creative vision of the investigated dangers faced by queer women in Nigeria, particularly the risk of being targeted online for their sexuality, to life. We kept a sensitive and impactful tone to the visual elements, from color palettes and layout to animation, ensuring that the design underscored the tension and vulnerability of the story while engaging the audience.
To learn more visit cnn.com
Reporters: Adie Vanessa Offiong and Ian Wafula
Commissioning Editor: Meera Senthilingam
Editor: Eliza Anyangwe Animator: Taylor Su
Designers: David Blood and Taylor Su
Developers: David Blood and Lucas Seidenfaden
Visual Editor: David Blood
Art Director : Elisa Solinas
Audio Editor : Matt Dempsey
Photo Edito : Sarah Tilotta
Awards:
2024 Silver Lovie and People's Lovie Winner in Websites & Mobile Sites: News & Politics
CNN Opinion
Zaid's world: A 10-year-old's story of escaping Gaza
Animated Explainer
Zaid is ten. He was born and raised in Gaza, where he lived until Israeli airstrikes forced his family to flee. He still dreams of home. From sleeping in windowless rooms to losing his dog, this is his story of growing up under siege and escaping what he called the worst war he had ever seen.
We used mixed media to tell Zaid’s story through his eyes. This helped show how a child remembers war: fragmented, emotional, and layered with both fear and innocence. I worked with our designer to guide the visual tone using hand-drawn elements, textured animation, and subtle photo overlays. This gave the piece a tactile feel and helped connect viewers to the daily reality of life in Gaza.
To learn more visit CNN.com
Executive Producer: Alexandra King
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design & Animation: Agne Jurkenaite
Adt Animation: Duncan Senkumba
Awards: 2024 Online News Association: Digital Video Storytelling - Social Media
We used mixed media to tell Zaid’s story through his eyes. This helped show how a child remembers war: fragmented, emotional, and layered with both fear and innocence. I worked with our designer to guide the visual tone using hand-drawn elements, textured animation, and subtle photo overlays. This gave the piece a tactile feel and helped connect viewers to the daily reality of life in Gaza.
To learn more visit CNN.com
Executive Producer: Alexandra King
Art Direction: Elisa Solinas
Design & Animation: Agne Jurkenaite
Adt Animation: Duncan Senkumba
Awards: 2024 Online News Association: Digital Video Storytelling - Social Media
This project focused on the violence faced by Rohingya hijras in refugee camps. The topic demanded emotional weight and careful visual treatment.
As Art Director, I shaped the visual approach to be sensitive to trauma while respecting the dignity of those who shared their stories. We used soft brush strokes, grainy textures, and layered animation, some over live-action footage to convey distress without showing directly graphic content. Silhouettes preserved identity while helping viewers connect to the survivors.
Cinematic shots were used during interviews to protect anonymity. Every design decision supported the survivors’ voices and kept the tone grounded and respectful.
The video was broadcast across CNN’s domestic and international channels, then adapted for social media. A one minute version on Instagram reached over 3 million views in its first week. The story was widely reshared by human rights organizations including UN Women and UNHCR.
For more info visit cnn.com
Reporters: Saharin Priya Shaoun, Ladan Anoushfar, Ankur Paliwal
Series Editors: Ankur Paliwal
As Equals Editors: Eliza Anyangwe, Meera Senthilingam
Senior Video Producer: Ladan Anoushfar
Video Editors: Ladan Anoushfar, Estefania Rodriguez
Art Director: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Patrick Gallagher, Yukari Schrickel
Camera: Salman Saeed, Rawyan Shayema
Awards: 2025 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction
As Art Director, I shaped the visual approach to be sensitive to trauma while respecting the dignity of those who shared their stories. We used soft brush strokes, grainy textures, and layered animation, some over live-action footage to convey distress without showing directly graphic content. Silhouettes preserved identity while helping viewers connect to the survivors.
Cinematic shots were used during interviews to protect anonymity. Every design decision supported the survivors’ voices and kept the tone grounded and respectful.
The video was broadcast across CNN’s domestic and international channels, then adapted for social media. A one minute version on Instagram reached over 3 million views in its first week. The story was widely reshared by human rights organizations including UN Women and UNHCR.
For more info visit cnn.com
Reporters: Saharin Priya Shaoun, Ladan Anoushfar, Ankur Paliwal
Series Editors: Ankur Paliwal
As Equals Editors: Eliza Anyangwe, Meera Senthilingam
Senior Video Producer: Ladan Anoushfar
Video Editors: Ladan Anoushfar, Estefania Rodriguez
Art Director: Elisa Solinas
Design and Animation: Patrick Gallagher, Yukari Schrickel
Camera: Salman Saeed, Rawyan Shayema
Awards: 2025 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction