The Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN) has once again chosen art to communicate at its Madrid headquarters. This time the main façade displays a six-metre banner with a mental health illustration of mine, originally created for the cover of issue 129 of the magazine Noticias.CUN (October 2024 – January 2025).
Mental health illustration
It is the second time the clinic has turned one of my works into a large-format piece, after the healthy summer illustration displayed on the same building in summer 2025. Seeing an editorial illustration, designed to accompany a feature article, move into public space at a monumental scale shows the power of images to communicate, raise awareness and move people.
A mental health illustration about the role of home
The magazine cover was devoted to “Homes with mental health”, with a central question: can the family be the best therapeutic resource against a problem that affects 34% of Spaniards? The illustration conveys that idea through an everyday, symbolic scene: the façade of a city building at dusk, its windows glowing with warm golden light that suggests life, intimacy and company.
Each window reveals a different moment:
- An older person, calm and accompanied.
- Children playing and laughing together.
- A father reading to his son.
- Conversations that cross the boundary of the glass.
- A walk outdoors with the family dog.
The composition reinforces the message that mental health is also cared for in small daily gestures, in the bonds we build at home and in the way we support each other. The contrast between the cold blue of the façade and the warm glow of the windows stands for the difference between loneliness and company. A cat on the roof and birds in the sky add a narrative, almost poetic touch.
A message that grows stronger in large format
On the Madrid banner, the illustration is accompanied by the slogan “When one door closes, a window opens. Take care of your mental health”. Together with the monumental scale, it turns the CUN façade into a visible, positive reminder for passers-by, patients and families: a call to break taboos and remember that support is always available.
The large format also brings out details that may go unnoticed on a magazine cover: the characters’ gestures, the autumn trees and the reflections of the evening light.
Illustration for public health communication
Art does not only accompany: it also inspires and communicates. Seeing these illustrations live beyond paper and become part of Madrid’s urban landscape confirms my belief that illustration has a key role in sharing social and health messages. Mental health, so present in our lives and still surrounded by silence, deserves visible, human and close initiatives like this one.
Do you need illustrations for a book, a magazine, a poster or a health campaign? See my graphic and editorial illustration work or get in touch and tell me about your project.
