Split Signal

Client
Spectral Press

Role
Lead Designer

Type
Article illustrations

Split Signal was developed for an online feature by Spectral Press, a digital-first news platform reporting on identity, technology, and society. The article—titled “The Fractured Self”—explored how social media filters, surveillance culture, and algorithmic profiling reshape the way individuals present themselves online. Our goal was to create a set of commissioned visuals that echoed this conceptual split across personal identity and public performance.

A torn grayscale portrait collage of a face placed over vivid pink and green florals. Visually layered and surreal, evoking glitch and distortion.

Art direction & approach

We constructed a collage-based visual language that intentionally disrupted visual clarity. Portraits were layered with digital blurs, analog scan textures, and physical fragments to simulate the feeling of fragmented presence. Each composition was designed to feel like a digital artifact—part archive, part hallucination—evoking the emotional residue of online overexposure.

Black-and-white Polaroid photo of flowers layered on a colorful, abstract background with vector-like motion paths scattered across the image.

Symbolic visual system

Working closely with the editorial team, we developed a symbolic vocabulary of shapes and gestures to represent themes like distortion, echo, and surveillance. Organic imagery (such as flowers and skin textures) clashed with grid overlays and opaque filters. This juxtaposition created a rhythm that supported the article’s narrative arc—where visual overload mirrors cognitive dissonance.

Asset production & use

The final suite included hero images, inline editorial illustrations, and social preview cards, all optimized for responsive use on Signal State’s platform. We also developed a small risograph-print insert for their quarterly print digest, maintaining brand continuity across digital and physical formats. The assets were created using a mix of Photoshop compositing and risograph simulation overlays for tactile depth.

Color Polaroid photo of two hands holding flowers against a bright blue sky, set on an orange abstract background with small white X marks scattered across it.

Outcome

Split Signal helped Signal State break away from conventional editorial art tropes, giving the article a distinctive identity that was both expressive and thought-provoking. Engagement metrics for the piece exceeded typical benchmarks, and the asset system was later extended into a visual series for other op-eds on adjacent topics. The collaboration demonstrated how visual storytelling can deepen editorial impact without relying on literalism.

Project 01
Split Signal

Project 02
Color Holding

Project 03
Aetherfield

Let’s work together

Back to projects

Split Signal

Client
Spectral Press

Role
Lead Designer

Type
Article illustrations

Split Signal was developed for an online feature by Spectral Press, a digital-first news platform reporting on identity, technology, and society. The article—titled “The Fractured Self”—explored how social media filters, surveillance culture, and algorithmic profiling reshape the way individuals present themselves online. Our goal was to create a set of commissioned visuals that echoed this conceptual split across personal identity and public performance.

Art direction & approach

We constructed a collage-based visual language that intentionally disrupted visual clarity. Portraits were layered with digital blurs, analog scan textures, and physical fragments to simulate the feeling of fragmented presence. Each composition was designed to feel like a digital artifact—part archive, part hallucination—evoking the emotional residue of online overexposure.

Black-and-white Polaroid photo of flowers layered on a colorful, abstract background with vector-like motion paths scattered across the image.

Symbolic visual system

Working closely with the editorial team, we developed a symbolic vocabulary of shapes and gestures to represent themes like distortion, echo, and surveillance. Organic imagery (such as flowers and skin textures) clashed with grid overlays and opaque filters. This juxtaposition created a rhythm that supported the article’s narrative arc—where visual overload mirrors cognitive dissonance.

Asset production & use

The final suite included hero images, inline editorial illustrations, and social preview cards, all optimized for responsive use on Signal State’s platform. We also developed a small risograph-print insert for their quarterly print digest, maintaining brand continuity across digital and physical formats. The assets were created using a mix of Photoshop compositing and risograph simulation overlays for tactile depth.

Color Polaroid photo of two hands holding flowers against a bright blue sky, set on an orange abstract background with small white X marks scattered across it.

Outcome

Split Signal helped Signal State break away from conventional editorial art tropes, giving the article a distinctive identity that was both expressive and thought-provoking. Engagement metrics for the piece exceeded typical benchmarks, and the asset system was later extended into a visual series for other op-eds on adjacent topics. The collaboration demonstrated how visual storytelling can deepen editorial impact without relying on literalism.

Project 01
Split Signal

Project 02
Color Holding

Project 03
Aetherfield

Let’s work together

Back to projects

Split Signal

Client
Spectral Press

Role
Lead Designer

Type
Article illustrations

Split Signal was developed for an online feature by Spectral Press, a digital-first news platform reporting on identity, technology, and society. The article—titled “The Fractured Self”—explored how social media filters, surveillance culture, and algorithmic profiling reshape the way individuals present themselves online. Our goal was to create a set of commissioned visuals that echoed this conceptual split across personal identity and public performance.

Art direction & approach

We constructed a collage-based visual language that intentionally disrupted visual clarity. Portraits were layered with digital blurs, analog scan textures, and physical fragments to simulate the feeling of fragmented presence. Each composition was designed to feel like a digital artifact—part archive, part hallucination—evoking the emotional residue of online overexposure.

Black-and-white Polaroid photo of flowers layered on a colorful, abstract background with vector-like motion paths scattered across the image.

Symbolic visual system

Working closely with the editorial team, we developed a symbolic vocabulary of shapes and gestures to represent themes like distortion, echo, and surveillance. Organic imagery (such as flowers and skin textures) clashed with grid overlays and opaque filters. This juxtaposition created a rhythm that supported the article’s narrative arc—where visual overload mirrors cognitive dissonance.

Asset production & use

The final suite included hero images, inline editorial illustrations, and social preview cards, all optimized for responsive use on Signal State’s platform. We also developed a small risograph-print insert for their quarterly print digest, maintaining brand continuity across digital and physical formats. The assets were created using a mix of Photoshop compositing and risograph simulation overlays for tactile depth.

Color Polaroid photo of two hands holding flowers against a bright blue sky, set on an orange abstract background with small white X marks scattered across it.

Outcome

Split Signal helped Signal State break away from conventional editorial art tropes, giving the article a distinctive identity that was both expressive and thought-provoking. Engagement metrics for the piece exceeded typical benchmarks, and the asset system was later extended into a visual series for other op-eds on adjacent topics. The collaboration demonstrated how visual storytelling can deepen editorial impact without relying on literalism.

Project 01
Split Signal

Project 02
Color Holding

Project 03
Aetherfield