Case Study
Domestic Abuse Event: Reading Borough Council
Digital graphic recording
Trigger warning
This case study talks about domestic abuse. We know this topic can be heavy and triggering. Your wellbeing comes first, so please feel free to skip this if it’s not right for you right now.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse and needs support then please call BWA's free helpline number - 0808 801 0882.
In an emergency situation always call 999.
A spotlight on the project
In collaboration with Reading Borough Council and Berkshire Women’s Aid (BWA), Lim was invited to graphic record their Domestic Abuse event. A complex and critical issue. Lim were the team for the job due to experience supporting events in the past on topics such as suicide and knife crime.
The purpose of the session was to listen to survivor experiences, hear about the work going on in the region and to celebrate BWA’s 50 years.
We supported the event in-person and Ellie Chapman created digital visuals on her iPad throughout the day. Ellie translated words into colour, energy, and shape. Our work helps people see what they’re saying. That moment when someone spots what they said drawn out and lit up on screen is a joy to see.
Here’s what graphic recording brought to the room:
Visibility: Complex, difficult conversations became more visible - not just heard but seen, in full colour.
Emotional resonance: Visual storytelling helped hold the weight of what was being shared - without reducing or softening it.
A lasting spark: After the event, the visual is living on - helping carry momentum forward in strategy, advocacy, and community engagement.
Here's the visual we created that captured the key themes from speakers from the day
What we captured
Working digitally gave us the flexibility to move with the flow of the day, zooming in on key themes, layering moments of insight, and gently holding the emotional load.
Some of what came through:
Survivor voices: Powerful stories, expressed with warmth, courage, and strength. We honoured through words, colour and connection.
Connecting thinking: Connected topics, where services and people meet.
Showing patterns: Repeated themes surfaced through our drawing.
Hope, too: Sparks of innovation, collaboration, and care, lit up for everyone to see.
This is the visual from the survivors panel discussion
The afterglow
The finished visuals were shared with participants and used by the Reading Borough Council to support ongoing work. They now serve as a touchstone, a reminder of the energy, honesty, and human connection that filled the room.
In sensitive spaces like this one, we believe visual storytelling can hold complexity and care at the same time. It can shine a light. And it can help people feel seen, even when the subject is hard.
Lim was really organised, communicated well and were very professional. The quality and intricacies of the work delivered were impeccable and have been complimented by many across our organisation.
Umi Abdulmutwalib, Reading Borough Council
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