Training Manual for Volunteers

I was happy to design a manual for volunteers working with patients with dementia. The client was Zavod Krog (Institute Circle) from Slovenia, a non-profit active in the field of human rights, humanitarian aid, and inter-cultural dialogue. This manual, written in Montenegrin, was part of a larger project and supported by the EU.

The design focuses on clarity and readability, but it still maintains enough rhythmic diversity to guide the reader through the manual.

The warm palette and cover design suggest closeness, solidarity, and community. The cover graphic suggests hope and safety – it provides a safe ground to prevent falling into an abyss.

I’ve been experimenting with different covers, starting with the idea of a map – a topography of the mind – as a symbol of memories, of a person’s (forgotten) past. These images then developed into fragments and shards of broken memories. But I finally decided for a simpler and warmer design.

I’ve changed some details to accommodate the client’s wishes. For example, I’d use logos in the document’s color scheme and no stock photography. But designing a document like this was a learning process for me, too; the assignment was specific, and so are both the client and the target audience. Still, we need more better design. Even in social pockets, where it either doesn’t seem to matter or is determined by a tradition of uninformed choices.