Color of Wealth

Dr. Darrick Hamilton, Henry Cohen Professor at The New School, has spent over a decade examining the forces behind the racial and ethnic wealth gap. This project transformed complex academic research into an accessible animated story, turning long-form reports into a film that speaks to lived experience. Using clear visuals, grounded data, and historical context, the animation helps audiences understand the difference between wealth and income, why that gap persists, and how systemic choices shape everyday lives—ending with a sense of possibility and shared responsibility for change.

Color of Wealth.org

CREDITS

DESIGN & DIRECTION: Studio Saka: Margaret To

ANIMATION: Delinear Motion: Kari Pieterse

MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN: Tomas Wischerath

PRODUCTION: Graphicacy

STORYBOARDS

Storyboards are essential for turning a written script into a visual masterpiece. They show how the story will unfold on screen, shot by shot. They help the animation team communicate and understand each other. Everyone can discuss and agree on the animation's vision by providing a shared visual reference. Storyboards also help plan the animation's structure and pacing. They decide how long each shot will be, how scenes will transition, and how the story will flow smoothly.

STYLE FRAMES

The visual style was designed to put people—not numbers—at the center of the story. Simple characters, hand-drawn textures, and collage elements create an immediate sense of humanity, while familiar materials like paper, photographs, and news clippings ground the data in real lives and real histories. Abstract economic concepts such as wealth, income, and stability are translated into intuitive visual metaphors—stacked blocks, shifting ground, rippling circles—so viewers can feel the difference, not just understand it intellectually. Archival imagery and redlining maps connect personal outcomes to systemic decisions, making clear that inequality is inherited through policy, not personal failure. As the film moves toward solutions, the animation visually repairs fractures and opens the frame, reinforcing hope without minimizing harm. This human-centred approach allowed complex research to resonate emotionally, helping audiences see themselves—and their communities—within the story and imagine a more equitable future.

IMPACT

This video summarizes the 50-page report into clear, impactful visuals. By presenting the Chicago story in under two minutes with this dynamic video. It enhances understanding, inspires action, broadens outreach, and demonstrates the power of visual storytelling to captivate, connect emotionally, and drive engagement.

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