A mystic view of death is that it is merely a period of transition. You could symbolize this graphically by showing a caterpillar crawling through the Reaper's left eye socket, while a butterfly emerges from the eye socket on the right.
While images of hell and damnation may be frightening, the idea that there is nothing after death may be even scarier for some. You artist could render this graphically by creating a Grim Reaper in which the left side of the face is menacing, vividly realistic and alive--but the color and vitality gradually give way to an ashy pointillism as the viewer's eye moves to the right and the image fades to nothingness.
The phoenix, rising from the ashes, is a popular graphic image that symbolizes triumph over death. Discuss the design possibilities of an epic battle between a vengeful phoenix doing fierce battle with an enraged and snarling Grim Reaper.