OverviewA Voyage to Virus Land is a children's book that takes young readers inside the human body to learn about COVID-19. In the summer of 2020, I collaborated with author and medical student Matt Daly to make the pandemic understandable for kids. In three months, I illustrated and designed 46 pages, publishing the book just when families needed it most.
In 2020, children were being asked to understand something most adults couldn't explain clearly. Schools were closed, masks were mandatory, and children were confused.
Matt came to me to help illustrate a world around COVID-19 that felt safe to be in, so that children can feel confident in navigating the world during this tough time.
I designed the coronavirus character to be clumsy, awkward, and a little gross. The goal was to make the virus feel approachable, even a little silly, so kids could engage with it rather than fear it.
Three other characters carry the story. The Protagonist travels through the human body as the reader's tour guide. The Scientist is the narrator that speaks with warmth and clarity, teaching the reader to always wear a mask and wash your hands. The Shrink-o-meter Express kicks the whole adventure off, making the science feel like exploration.
I illustrated A Voyage to Virus Land to do what good health communication should always do: meet people where they are, speak simply, and leave them feeling capable of the decisions they make moving forward - all through powerful storytelling.
Valentin Nguyen [val-en-teen noo-win] is a Californian designer with a love for illustration and visual storytelling. She is interested in, but not limited to, branding and marketing design. Her work is always driven by strategy, intention, and curiosity. She also loves cartwheeling, banana bread, board games, charcuterie boards, mid-century modern furniture, math, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York Times puzzles, cozy video games, solving Rubik’s cubes, collecting Smiskis, flossing, thinking, dreaming, helping others, and tossing things into her junk drawer.
Say HelloOpen to collaborations, freelance,
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Select ClientsWalt Disney Imagineering Children’s Hospital Los Angeles California Academy of Sciences AG1 University of California, Los Angeles Pages for PediatricsFluenciesBranding
Brand Strategy
Visual Systems
Digital + Interaction
Print + Production
Packaging
Typography
Illustration