This was a freelance illustration job I did with C4ADS, a nonprofit organization that works to defeat illicit networks across the globe. I met with the project lead and art director to discuss the project and the report. They wanted to show the cost of the black market pangolin trade flowing from Africa to China. They gave me some visuals from the report as reference, specifically for the color palette.

After our meeting, I started with sketches for the different elements and the overall layout. Using the report summary and images to help me understand the overall content. Due to a compressed timeline, I went for an illustration style that I felt most comfortable producing. It was a hand-drawn style mixed with digital illustration and vectors. I wanted to use more fluid, rough shapes for the pangolin and the tree branch to contrast with the crisp, harsh lines of the gold scales. Showing the reduction of a living animal into a cold, monetary value. I pulled the color palette from the report to help make the cover art consistent. I provided C4ADS with a couple initial layout options in grayscale. With their feedback, I proceeded with one of the layouts and brought it to a finished piece. The final report can be viewed online at https://c4ads.org/reports/tipping-the-scales/