Project Purpose
The idea for this project was to create an informational package about mental health awareness targeted towards young people, especially those in university. Mental health is an extremely important component to living a well balanced and healthy life. Despite this it is often neglected, from lack of understanding, education and the age old stigma that continues to plague it.
Although anyone at any age can have a mental health issue, the most vulnerable demographic is young people aged
15-24 .
As this encompasses the age most people attend university, handling issues of mental health and mental illness are becoming growing priorities at Canadian universities. The goal of this project is to educate people about mental illness as well as showing them daily ways to be mentally healthy.
The Brochure
The inside of this brochure is made up of 8 panels,(top image) each discussing a different topic, from general information to a focus on anxiety or the issue of stigma. These portions are meant to educate people about the truths of mental health and mental illness to reduce misconceptions that cause stigma. The outside of the brochure is a poster that focuses on stress and ways to manage it in order to take care of yourself and be mentally healthy.
In creating the brochure I wanted to use bright colours and clean forms to develop visuals that would make an impact while engaging with the reader. I wanted it to be clean and organized without appearing medical and to embody calmness without seeming to tip toe around the issues at hand.
DPS Application
As a complement to the printed brochure I also created a DPS version of this project so that the information could be made available in more than one medium. Creating the DPS version allowed me to add more details and additional information to the piece, such as active links to web pages referenced in the text. My biggest concern in creating this component was making it intuitive and easy for the user to interact with.
Check out a video of the application in action!
mannell nicole DPSvideo ysdn3008 from Nicole Mannell on Vimeo.
The Social Campaign
The idea for this portion was to establish and develop an integrated and unified media campaign that continues with the same goals as the print and digital brochure — providing awareness, preventative strategies for handling stress in a healthy way and support for those going through mental health struggles. The campaign consists of a website, social media components, (facebook and twitter), and physical promotional material.
See the campaign website and related links here:
