Elizabeth Beier
Portfolio: visual journalism and graphic storytelling

Reporting that draws you in.

Visual storytelling that makes complex topics clear.

Featured

A panel from the Stonewall comic: hand lettered reporting drawn in ink and colour.

Comics reporting for The Lily

2018 to 2020

Reported comics for The Lily, a project of the Washington Post elevating stories about gender.

Over 2018 through 2020, I regularly contributed ideas to The Lily, a feminist project of the Washington Post. My comics were listed by The Lily as one of the best of the year in 2018 and 2019. When my ideas were selected, I wrote and illustrated them in communication with art director Rachel Orr.

View the work →
  • LGBTQ+
  • Gender
  • Editorial illustration
  • Long-form
The four paths cover art for Choose Democracy, drawn in teal, navy and red.

Visual collaborations with Choose Democracy

2020 through present

Worked with Choose Democracy to educate the public about nonviolent resistance to fascism.

My work with Choose Democracy and Daniel Hunter has had many phases. In 2020, I volunteered to make videos to visualize Daniel's viral article about stopping a coup in America. In the runup to the 2024 election, I collaborated with Daniel to make 400+ animations for a large 'pick your path' adventure to help people prepare for action after a Trump victory. In 2025 and 2026, I created videos to explain 4 ways to resist Trump and how to organize around pillars of support.

View the work →
  • Motion & animation
  • Infographic
  • Art direction
The Bonobo thumbnail: a pair of cupped hands drawn in the brand palette.

Bonobo visual identity system

2020

Brand identity for sexual wellness and community group.

Helped Bonobo leaders answer questions about their brand before proposing colors, typography, and site structure. Deliverables included a full visual identity overhaul, photo treatments, and a full Squarespace build.

View the work →
  • Visual identity system
  • Art direction

Other projects

Filters apply to the twelve projects below.

  • The opening panel of the Prop 8 comic, drawn in blue monochrome.

    A Decade Since Prop 8 (The Nib)

    2018

    Wrote and drew a reported comic for The Nib on marriage equality, ten years after Prop 8.

    • LGBTQ+
    • Long-form
    • Writing sample
  • The book cover: a figure seen from behind in a crowd under stage lights, title in hand lettering.

    The Big Book of Bisexual Trials and Errors

    2017

    216-page graphic memoir, Northwest Press, named one of the best LGBT graphic novels of 2017 by The Advocate.

    In 2017 I had the opportunity to turn my short-form self-published comics into a published book. Created over a hundred new pages and chapter titles over one summer, while simultaneously raising 15K+ for Kickstarter Gold campaign. Published by Northwest Press to several positive professional reviews.

    • LGBTQ+
    • Long-form
    • Writing sample
  • A live drawn board from the Queers and Comics conference, portraits and hand lettered quotes.

    Live scribing for The Comics Journal

    2019

    Conference scribing published as reporting by The Comics Journal.

    While I attended the Queers & Comics Conference 2019, I also created live visual notes that ran in the Comics Journal.

    • Quick news response
    • LGBTQ+
    • Editorial illustration
  • The cover of We Belong: drawn portraits of Lexington Club patrons.

    We Belong (Mission Local feature)

    2015

    Collected stories and portraits from the Lexington Club for a self-published comic book. 100+ patrons interviewed; featured in Mission Local.

    Before the iconic lesbian bar The Lexington Club closed in 2015, I spent over a year interviewing patrons about their experiences there. The result was a 60+ page self-published comic book. I had an opening for the project at Mission: Comics, which was featured in Mission Local.

    • LGBTQ+
    • Long-form
    • Writing sample
  • A live drawn board in magenta and black: a portrait of Senator Warren at the microphone beside her quoted lines.

    Warren town hall, live illustration

    May 31, 2019, Oakland

    Drawn live at a Senator Warren town hall; retweeted by Team Warren.

    • Quick news response
    • Editorial illustration
  • A detail of the Poetics infographic: labelled illustrated panels connected by rules.

    Aristotle's Poetics, illustrated

    Summer 2021

    An illustrated explainer of Aristotle's Poetics made for class at California College of the Arts.

    While teaching an intensive summer class on comics with high school students at California College of the Arts, I wanted to engage them on the topic of Aristotle's Poetics. But rather than ask high schoolers to read an old Greek treatise, I opted to create this zoomable, comprehensive infographic.

    • Infographic
    • Editorial illustration
  • An exploded diagram of a sleep apnea machine drawn on a navy ground, air paths picked out in cyan.

    How a sleep apnea machine works

    2022

    An illustrated explainer of how a sleep apnea machine works, part by part.

    • Infographic
    • Editorial illustration
  • A live drawn conference board for Audubon: portraits and hand lettered session notes.

    National Audubon Society leadership boards

    2023

    Five live-drawn session boards for Audubon's 2023 Leadership Conference, including the opening plenary.

    • Quick news response
    • Editorial illustration
  • A live drawn board in green, cyan and black from the Sustainable Innovation Forum.

    Sustainable Innovation Forum boards

    2020

    Live boards from the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2020.

    • Quick news response
    • Editorial illustration
  • BookSpot app screens: a book discovery interface shown on phone frames.

    BookSpot

    2022

    UX design for a book discovery app, from research to hi-fi prototype.

    • Figma
  • The Passage app cover art.

    Passage

    2022

    UX design for Passage, an app for caretakers. Done as a group project.

    • Figma
  • The Moth title card.

    The Moth: StorySLAM to GrandSLAM

    StorySLAM winner; GrandSLAM at the Castro Theatre in front of 1,200 people, on video.

    • LGBTQ+
    • Writing sample