I’m Wide Awake

I’m Wide Awake is the second installation from the AAPI-centered comic book series “I’m Speaking”, produced by the New York Immigration Coalition in partnership with Yuna Youn from Korean Community Services. The second book of the series centers on Yumi and her friends and how they deal with current difficulties faced by many immigrant families. Much like the first book, this comic amplifies the power of community and mental support while navigating issues such as POC discrimination and cultural dynamics.

Writer: Yuna Youn (Korean Community Services)
Medium: Adobe Photoshop, InDesign

The second book takes place in the same universe as I’m Speaking; this provided me with the opportunity to imagine the same characters (along with a couple of new characters) as 11th graders. Starting with sketches of their new designs, I began laying out the story from the first draft of the comic dialogue. Over a couple of virtual meetings, we figured out a rough idea of how the story needed to be sectioned and divided for a strong visual impact. 

Discussing over virtual meetings with our team, we tweaked the story along with the illustrations simultaneously. I worked on one spread at a time and stuck with the strict brand color palette of the New York Immigration Coalition, similar to the color palette of I’m Speaking. While their brand orange and purple were still the anchoring colors, I flipped the colors in contrast to I’m Speaking to create a unique new design for the second book that features not only Yumi’s point of view, but also her group of friends’.