Storytelling Design: “The Gift”
The Gift tells the story of Jasper, whose cherished birthday tradition with his grandmother changes as she begins living with Alzheimer’s disease. What begins as a celebration rooted in family, king cake, and Mardi Gras becomes a reflection on memory, grief, and the unexpected ways love can endure through change. The story captures Jasper’s emotional journey as he learns to understand loss while holding onto tradition and connection.
I created this project to explore the relationship between storytelling and design. I believe design is most powerful when it does more than decorate a narrative—it should help carry its emotional weight and reinforce its meaning. By visually supporting the themes of memory, change, and acceptance, this piece demonstrates how design can strengthen the way a story is experienced. At its core, The Gift is about learning to meet life’s unexpected turns with patience and empathy.
Jasper’s birthday falls near Marti Gras every year.
This year, he celebrated by going to his favorite restaurant.
Grandma was always invited to Jasper’s birthday. She would bring a king cake every year to celebrate because they both shared a love for king cake. This year, however, was different.
Grandma brought him a gift in a brown paper bag. Grandma put the gift on the table. Usually, gifts from grandma were exciting but Jasper had a bad feeling.
He opened the bag and his eyes widened. It was a dead frog!
Jasper’s parents sat down with him and explained that his grandmother was living with Alzheimer’s disease which affects her memory and may lead her to do unexpected things. He sat with a sense of loss. It felt like he opened a door he couldn’t close.
Every year, Jasper would visit his grandmother on his birthday and give her a piece of king cake to continue the tradition.
The following year, his Grandma passed. It seemed to rain a lot that fall. It was such a dark day.
The celebration of life is held on Marti Gras in New Orleans, one of the biggest party days of the year. Jasper’s mother said that his grandmother loved Marti Gras and was always the life of the party so the setting would be fitting.
In the years that followed, he learned to be more patient and embrace and appreciate the unexpected turns of life.