The Real Experience: Zyrtec and Ventolin
Skills/Software: Adobe After Effects
The Real Experience: Zyrtec and Ventolin are typographic experimental videos on two medications I frequently use to manage allergy and asthma symptoms.
Labels on medication boxes always make it seem like if you take the medication, all will be well and you will be able to function at 100%. Commercials depict medication users frolicking through fields of flowers happily, an overly idealistic dream. What medication companies try to hide are the side effects of the medication and how the drugs’ efficacy isn’t 100%. After taking these medications I still have symptoms, usually slightly less severe, but sometimes the drugs have no effect. If I take too much, which in most cases with allergy medication is the recommended adult dosage, I suffer from side effects like brain fog, lightheadedness, and extreme drowsiness to the point where it’s hard to wake up. Combined with existing symptoms of allergies or asthma, it is a constant struggle to stay present and active at work, in school, and with friends and family.
Through these videos, I reinterpret the labels for Zyrtec and Ventolin by including text from the box, brand colors, and sounds like sneezing, a pill bottle being shaken, liquid medication being poured, wheezing, and inhalers being used. The sounds combined with the type and color treatments create humorous ironic videos that hide the frustrations of living with minor health issues.
Process
The idea for the videos stemmed from my frustration with the medications, especially after finding out that in June 2025, the FDA warned of a general itching that may occur to individuals who cease taking Zyrtec after having taking the medication for an extended period of time. I would not have known about this warning had I not experienced the general itching myself and Googled what was going on.
I began with focusing solely on the text that was printed on the Zyrtec box, having the text spin in place. Then, started an additive process of bringing more type treatments like spinning and movement, flashing brand colors, and then sound. After creating the Zyrtec video, I wanted to juxtapose an allergy medication label with an asthma inhaler label, which led to the design of the Ventolin video.