Poster 1
Self initiated project to design a campaign that will help young people suffering with a mental health issue for the first time.
The idea of this project emerged from recognising a fundamental problem in society: that young people are uneducated about mental health and
because of this
don't know where to turn for help when experiencing an issue. 18 - 24 year olds are the most likely to experience a mental health
issue for the first time in their lives which can be particularly scary and bewildering. Extensive research for the project revealed that young people
need guidance to the wealth of help sources around them, particularly as much of the existing campaign material
is aimed at a much older
audience.
The campaign initiates itself in society through a poster campaign which aims to provide an illustrated mindmap of someone suffering
with a particular mental health issue. (Above is the poster for eating disorders and below the posters for anxiety and panic and Schizophrenia).
The posters encourage young people to explore their thoughts and recognise when they might need to get help and where they can get it from.
Poster 2
The visual aesthetic is designed to make mental health a more 'edgy' and 'trendy' topic and in doing so makes the subject easier to talk about. Research
for the project also showed that existing help material is also mainly presented through text which often means that symptoms of mental health issues
are described in a 'black and white' way. In fact, Mental Health is a much more abstract subject. Using a Mindmap style format means the issues are
illustrated through image, representing better the abstract nature of the subject. Ironically, presenting Mental Health in an abstract way provides a more
real representation of what ti feels like to be suffering with a mental health issue.
Poster 3
The posters are designed to appear in public location where people have a spare moment to fully engage with them. The London Underground
offers a location that offers high exposure to young people and also lends naturally to a long dwell time for advertising.
The posters drive traffic to the Mind website, where young people are able to order their own Mindmap in leaflet format for the relevant issue they
are dealing with.
It is important that the campaign manifests itself primarily in printed formats. The digital realm represents surreality and in doing so would have made
mental health issues something unreal and in another world. Print solutions mean the subject of Mental Health is placed literally into the audience's
hand making it a reality that needs to be dealth with.
The leaflet arrives at their required address. The leaflet is designed in an origami format to represent the unfolding and development of thoughts the
person may be experiencing. First the young person is greeted by the message "Help has arrived!" and an explanation of the help the leaflet may offer.
They are then instructed to turn the leaflet over.
On turning over the leaflet, the young person is able to see all the help sources (including those provided by Mind) that are available to them.
On opening the leaflet, the Mindmap 'explodes' and the reader is able to see their thoughts literally develop before their eyes. The leaflet allows the
reader to
explore the thoughts and feelings they may be having. As mental health issues are often hard to explain, the leaflet can also be taken along to
appointments with help sources to help explain
the thoughts and feelings the sufferer may be experiencing.
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