This year, The Daily Pennsylvanian and its publications have seen a range of crucial coverage. From reporting on the health effects of students with long COVID-19 to harrowing personal stories on abortion and gun violence, every voice has been felt. And accompanying many of these stories are resounding designs and illustrations to make sense of them.

Deep in thought and significance, these visuals bring greater clarity to their stories and, equally, bring color and depth to the page. More than all else, though, our staff of designers curated passionate displays of imagery that somehow expressed the inexpressible. 

Ranging from Opinion takes to 34th Street thinkpieces, below is the story of 2022 told through the DP’s most memorable designs and illustrations that compelled readers to dive in.

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Jan. 14 — Equitable Paid Family Leave demands better legislation

Tyler Kliem’s graphic style and his use of saturation depict the struggles low-income families encounter when raising children in Philadelphia.

Jan. 26 — Relief exists in the here and now

Alice Choi’s illustration is a tasteful depiction of a warm feeling — of what it means to grow and flow within ourselves.

Feb. 11 — Over 150 Penn faculty rebuke U.S. government for racial profiling of Chinese academics

Tyler Kliem effectively collages together relevant iconography with a vibrant color scheme to produce a striking tone, perfect for this urgent investigative piece.

Feb. 16 — Penn must do more to recognize Lunar New Year

Overshadowed by the fixture of Western holiday time at Penn, Sarah Tretler’s illustration interprets the columnist’s states of otherness and jubilee. Her prudent usage of color and perspective is no more refreshing than it is evocative.

Feb. 21 — Between the Lines of Philly’s Radical Reading Scene

Collin Wang’s panoramic feature graphic masterfully celebrates quaint bonds of the Philadelphia community. Created for the doomscrollers of 2022, his illustration contends with how we may kindle hope for a widely inclusive future.

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March 2 — The Moncler ethos: Bridging the wealth gap at Penn

As Penn continues to reckon with its traces of elitism, Collin Wang’s illustration again reinforces how we must confront the rigidity of coming together — be it uncomfortable or unconventional.

March 14 — Indigo De Souza is the Indie-Rock Icon We Should All Be Listening To

Amy Krimm brings the whimsy, fun, and kiddie splendor to the vision of artist Indigo De Souza. This one’s cute, spotless, and enjoyable.

March 14 — Living with Long COVID

Devastated by the fatalistic aftermath of our times, Lilian Liu probes the reader to consider the profoundest afflictions of Penn students as the permanent health effects of COVID-19 continue to drag on.

March 19 — Stop treating secondary education as a necessity

Raw and thought-provoking, Alice Choi’s illustration forces us to see the vibrance of what a college degree can bring — all while putting into focus what that vibrance can even begin to mean for us.

March 21 — Ukrainian Influencers Are Using TikTok to Show the Truth

Insha Lakhani’s design intersects not only the violence and difficulty of the current war in Ukraine but also the new necessity of TikTok as a tool for information.

March 21 — A World-Class Creative Team Can’t Save "The Batman" from Subpar Writing

Sherry Li splices together filmic imagery of Batman to draw the writer’s conclusion: Matt Reeves’ "The Batman" is disjointed at moments, although somehow fully there at the end.

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March 29 — When One Door Closes, Another One Opens

With pith and vibrancy, Tyler Kliem navigates the ebbs and flows of the local restaurant world and the tumults and triumphs that tell a pandemic tale.

April 1 — Fool’s Gold: Is the Four-Year Degree All It Seems?

Clean-cut and professional, Sarah Tretler forms a perfect dialogue of uncertainty that considers the all-important value of choice — in college and beyond.

April 4 — Cooking Basics for College Students

Amy Krimm’s illustration sparkles and shines so elegantly, enticing the reader to stay hungry and happy.

April 4 — Authenticity and the Art of Letting Go

Kilahra Lott enters the mind of the wanderer and successfully compels the viewer to walk away from what keeps us unfulfilled.

April 19 — Penn’s Venture Lab Tells a New Story About Entrepreneurship

Evocative of our iridescent technological future, Lilian Liu reminds us with her shimmering lines and supple shapes that Penn’s Venture Lab is here.

April 20 — An ask from Penn’s student-athletes: Create a course absence policy

The textural urgency of Tyler Kliem’s graphic lends strength to the author’s ask for a more accommodating attendance policy for student athletes.

April 25 — College Fuels Our Worst Sleeping Habits — Can We Change That?

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Highlighted with her deep purples and pinks, Becky Lee surrenders us to the dizzying magic of sleeplessness and the bounty of our destruction.

April 27 — "Overlooked, ignored": Black Du Bois residents frustrated with demographics, living conditions

Alice Choi gravitates the reader to the weighted importance of Du Bois College House as a living hub in need of revitalization.

June 2 — The Mormon Mommy Meltdown, Explained

Fluttering with beautiful turmoil and a practical tone, Becky Lee’s illustration warns the reader that the Mormon mommy craze might not be as it seems.

June 14 — Across the Schuylkill

Kilahra Lott majestically illustrates the author’s dual associations with Philadelphia and Penn, paying particular attention to how our family roots wrap us in.

June 19 — Mental health in the wake of gun violence

Kilahra Lott investigates the anxiety-laden image of gun violence, producing an uneasiness that makes us confront our psychological entrapments more than ever before.

June 20 — Only Yesterday

Maggie Song’s sketch of Studio Ghibli’s "Only Yesterday" floods the viewer with serenity and the vast feel-good wonders of spring and summer.

Aug. 27 — Relearning How to Heal

Collin Wang judiciously constructs a stark visual distance, giving voice to the author’s experiences of physical and emotional abuse.

Sept. 18 — Opening up about my freshman year abortion

In its rawness, Maggie Song’s illustration contends with the necessity for reproductive rights and abortion access. Dually, she also portrays the deep chasm of stigma that muddles it all.

Oct. 21 — Overlooked and Underserved: Penn’s Struggle for Indigenous Visibility

Ani Nguyen Le renders the disorder and difficulty of feeling heard, putting an engrossing spotlight on the experiences of Native American and Indigenous students at Penn.

Nov. 1 — What’s at stake for Pennsylvanians in November’s midterm elections

Set and focused, Lilian Liu captures the brevity of what it means to vote.

Nov. 13 — Five of the Wildest Fashion Trends in History Missing from the Modern Wardrobe

Wei-An Jin explores fashion through time and space, bringing into focus the grace, eloquence, and future of our fabrics.

Nov. 20 — Are your words still your own?

Ani Nguyen Le’s illustration renders the distortion of our language as inevitable, showing that the buzz around buzzwords is prominent — always ready to sting.

Nov. 28 — [Censored]

Becky Lee captures the fluid yet chaotic energy of freedom of expression, proving that censorship and political correctness isn’t the problem we think it is.

Dec. 1 — From 3-7 to 8-2: The stats behind Penn football’s one-year turnaround

Looking back at Penn football’s miraculous turnaround, Esther Lim depicted the growth of the team and the statistical nature of the article with style.

Dec. 5 — You’re grammar correction is hurting, not helping

Cutesy but spunky, Ani Nguyen Le uses her didactic and approachable style to make the case for kindness in everyday dialogues.

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Executive Editor Pia Singh, 34th Street Editor-in-Chief Emily White, 34th Street Print Editor Walden Green, DP Editor-in-Chief Jonah Charlton, and Deputy Design Editors Alice Choi, Becky Lee, Caleb Crain, Collin Wang, and Lilian Liu contributed to this showcase.