Carolyn K Patterson
Professional & Technical Writer, Editor, Instructor
Promotional
A large part of what I do is public outreach. I've worked on behalf of several nonprofit organizations to create such project deliverables as podcast scripts, dtp brochures, infographics, and videos. These materials can be used to educate the community about important issues and engage readers with your cause.
Companion Animal Advocacy
The Happy Accident of Pet Therapy
Podcast Script
I wrote a script for a twelve-minute episode of the hypothetical "Our Furry Friends" podcast series. In this episode, I interview retired veterinarian, Dr. Mary Kelley, about pet-assisted therapy. We discuss the extraordinary accidental discovery of pet therapy, how it has advanced over the decades, and the kinds of programs we are seeing today.
The podcast is to be hosted weekly on Youtube for pet enthusiasts. General audience members would have pets but no special veterinary knowledge. The podcast would be promoted through social media forums like Facebook and Twitter to people who search for pet related pages.
The most important message of this podcast is a reminder to care for companion animals. I use narrative to create a compelling case for companion animals, and then conclude with a call to action, urging listeners to support the movement and provide quality care for their own pets.
Patient Education
Care Basics for Caregivers of Hospice Patience
Educational Brochure
I worked with a team to create a suite of educational brochures for family members who plan to act as the primary care giver for a hospice patient. Compassion fatigue runs high among caregivers because their own needs often go overlooked.These pamphlets were intended to introduce self-care concepts and to provide an easily accessible resource for caregivers to refer back to.
The brochures would be made freely available in a hospital setting, so sensitive style and design were important considerations. We chose vibrant, uplifting photos and carefully edited the contents of each panel to ensure peace of mind, for both caregivers and hospice patients who would be likely to read the brochures as well.
Public Health Awareness
Safe Sex
Infographic & Visual Narrative
I worked on a two-part data visualization project with a partner to design an informative and entertaining public service announcement on behalf of the University Health Center.
The most important part of this project was creating a data narrative to show the prevalence and nature of STIs, but due to the nature of the topic it was important to make readers feel at ease. We chose playful language and fun cartoon characters to breathe life into a message that could be poorly received without some kind of payoff for the reader.
Therapeutic Horseback Riding
My Milestones: Peggy Engleman
Volunteer Video
As part of a larger client project, I designed several items for a promotional media kit, one of which was the video featured below. Milestones is a nonprofit organization that relies on the support of donors and volunteers to make therapeutic horseback riding available to people with disabilities. We created a series of videos to give the organization an up-to-date image that would help them spread the word though different online channels like Youtube and Facebook as a way to supplement their already well-established word-of-mouth reputation.