{ The Problem }
Social Anxiety is the irrational fear of being negatively judged by others. It is a disease of shyness and avoidance that often leads to loneliness, depression and in some cases, suicide. The problem is that so little is known about SAD, or Social Anxiety Disorder. People with social anxiety appear to be “normal” in every regard. It has no “strange” elements that are visible to others, because those with the disorder work so hard to hide it. Most people consider this to be shyness, when the problem may be much deeper than that.
{1.}
{ The Solution}
Live FearLess is an organization dedicated to increasing the awareness, and providing help for the people who struggle with Social Anxiety Disorder. I want to bring awareness to the 15 million Americans who struggle with social anxiety. My goal for this project is to give a voice to the people who are too afraid to speak. I want to show the average Joe what it’s like to live with a completely irrational fear of talking to people.
{2.}
{ Target Audience}
The demographic that I’m focusing on is a very focused category of people. When it comes down to it, the people that need to know about social anxiety are people with a lot of money and big hearts. Parents, teachers, medical professors, medical researchers, and non-profit organizations are key people to target. These are the people that care, and more importantly, the people who can do something about it. Although some parents and teachers may not be particularly wealthy, they’ll be the people that can identify the signs and pinpoint the people who may have social anxiety.
{3.}
{ Information}
Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD, has been known to stem from four specific sources: Inherited Traits: SAD tends to run in families and be inherited into genes. Brain Chemistry: Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is responsible for regulating moods and emotions. If a person lacks this chemical, or has a hyperactive one, they can experience an array of mental illness. Brain Structure: People with an overactive amygdala experience a heightened sense of fear response. This too can cause a rise in anxiety in social situations. Negative Experiences: Young children who experience bullying, teasing, rejection or humiliation have proven to be much more prone to social anxiety.
{4.}
{ Quantitative Data}
· 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder. 15 million suffer from social anxiety. · This disorder has physical symptoms including heart palpitations, feelings that throat will close up, sweating, blushing, faintness, trembling and stammering. · Average age of onset is 13 years old. · 36% of people with social anxiety disorder report experiencing symptoms for 10 or more years before seeking help. · Approximately only 4 million will receive treatment, and only 400,000 will receive the proper treatment.
{5.}
{ Qualitative Data}
All day, every day, life is like this. Fear. Apprehension. Avoidance. Pain. Anxiety about what you said. Fear that you said something wrong. Worry about others’ disapproval. Afraid of rejection, of not fitting in. Anxious to enter a conversation, afraid you’ll have nothing to talk about. Hiding what’s wrong with you deep inside, putting up a defensive wall to protect your secret. - Thomas A. Richards, Founder of Social Anxiety Institute You are undergoing the daily, chronic trouble of living with this mental disorder.
{6.}
{ Creative Brief }
Situation Analysis: The problem is very few people have heard of social anxiety disorder. Many people confuse social anxiety with shyness, which is very dangerous. Objective: I want to bring awareness to the 40 million Americans who struggle with social anxiety. My goal for this project is to give a voice to the people who are too afraid to speak. I want to show the average Joe what it’s like to live day to day with a completely irrational fear of talking to people. Target Audience: The demographic that I’m focusing on is a very focused category of people. When it comes down to it, the people that need to know about social anxiety are people with money and big hearts. Parents, teachers, medical professors, medical researchers, and non-profit organizations are key people to target. These are the people that care, and more {7.}
{ Creative Brief }
importantly, the people who can do something about it. Although some parents and teachers may not be particularly wealthy, they’ll be the people that can identify the signs and pinpoint the people who have social anxiety. Tone and Execution: I want the ads to be clever yet somber, and to have a serious message in the body text. The ads will be heavily photography and typography based. The idea is show the viewer what the person in the photo is thinking is happening. The photos will depict a person isolated away from a larger group of people and those people will have thought bubbles with nasty, mean messages about the loner. That will be the focal point. Once the viewer becomes interested, they’ll read more into the ad, and realize the loner is only imagining the hurtful thoughts.
{8.}
{ References}
{9.}
{ Sketches}
{10.}
{ The Logo} The Live FearLess logo is all type, no mark logo. LIVE and FEAR are modified versions of Bebas, while LESS was hand written with a grunge brush. I wanted the impactful look of a strong, bold sans serif, paired with an edgey, hand rendered font. It gives it a very serious feeling, which goes right along with my creative brief. The logo is best used as white against a black background and the orange was choosen for its stricking, eye catching attributes.
{11.}
{ Advertisements} This is the layout for each
{ He is so weird. }
advertisement. A person singled out from a group, looking upset, or anxious. The people in the background are socializing and having a good time. Above their heads are unkind words in thought bubbles. They are not actually thinking these mean things, but the boy, who has social anxiety, thinks that they are.
I {fear} that... Friends talk bad about me.
My classmates don’t like me.
That this isn’t just in my head– and that it’s real.
{12.}
{ Editorial Ad }
{13.}
{ Brochure }
{14.}
{ Billboard Ad }
{15.}
{ Bus Stop Ad }
{
What a miserable person.
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}
She is always alone. Isn’t that strange?
{16.}
{Responsive Showcase}
{17.}
{ Quiz App}
{18.}