Conversation by Tasha Kosak

natasha kosak conversation TFD1411-1415: 1415 - Intermediate Studio Practice

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conversation kɒnvəˈseɪʃ(ə)n/ noun a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged. “she picked up the phone and held a conversation in French”

What is a conversation? Conversations are generally between two people, face-to-face where communcation (the act of transferring information from one place to another) takes place.

Why does conversation matter? * For effective communication * To understand each other * For the ability to recognise, understand & use information * For basic communication between people * Problem solving - e.g. councilling * To express yourself * Limits the feeling of lonliness * Explaining things

How do we have conversation? * Texts * Skype * Facebook * Verbal - More effort, but results in a more meaninful experience * Body language

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Brief: A Conversation The first studio brief is called ‘A Conversation’ and is a part of the years theme which is ‘Collide’. Things I need to consider for this brief include: What’s the most important conversation for today? What’s the most important conversation for the future? Who will you speak to? What is the message? Through the application of graphic design, I am to research and develop visual outcomes that centres around the idea of ‘A Conversation’.

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Brand

Experential Spaces

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or other feature that distinguishes one company’s product/service from those of others. Brands are often used in business marketing and advertising.

- Experential: Involving or based on experience and observation ‘the experential learning associated with employment’

Brand identity is a huge part of a business/company’s success. They identity is put together by the company, it reflects how the owner wants the company to be perceived. This is a contract of the brand image. The brand image is the customers mental image of the brand. The brand owner with seek to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity. Brand identity is essential to consumer recognition and symbolizes the brands differentiation from competitors. Unbranded

Gaming - Simulation Gaming - Virtual reality gaming - Ocolus rift It is all becoming more popular due to more affordable simulation programmes. Also due to the growing focus on student learning outcomes, simulations can provide a way for students to practice application of knowledge. Social Media

Experential marketing, or experience design, is known as In recent times, some companies have successfully persued marketing that can be touched or that draws people in to ‘no-brand’ strategies by creating packaging that imitates the experience digitally. Examples of campaigns that have generic brand simplicity. Generic brands of consumer gone beyond traditional media in to experential marketing products (often supermarket goods) are distinguished by the include Heineken’s “Departure Roulette”, Red Bull’s Stratos absence of a brand name. It is often incorrect to describe that 8 million people watched live, and KLM Airline’s puppythese products as ‘unbranded’ as they usually are branded, powered viral video. These campaigns created a unique although it is usually with the brand of the store in which experience for consumers, and connected with people on they are sold. an emotional level. Experential marketing like prankvertising, viral videos, Examples of these companies include the Japanese instillations and live events would not be complete without company Muji, which means ‘no label’ in English and the social media. The campaigns are conversation starters Florida company No-Ad Sunscreen. The no-brand strategy allowing fans to be part of that dialogue. means that tittle is spent on advertisements and Muji’s success is attributed to word-of-mouth. Mass Marketing The pharmaceutical industry also will use the approach of unbranded advertising to raise awareness about health issues, in an attempt to indirectly raise sales for their products. Companies interested in social enterprise may work on marketing for social and environmental awareness without using their names or logos specifically in the endeavor. Culture Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits and art. It is a way of life, especially in the general customs and beliefs of a particular group of people at a particular time.

Mass marketing is a market coverage strategy in which a firm decides to ignore market differences and appeal to the whole market with one offer or one strategy. The idea is to broadcast a message that will reach the largest number of people possible. Innovation The action or process of innovating “innovation is crucial to the continuing success of any organisation” A new method, idea, product etc Innovation is a new idea, more effective device or process. It can be seen as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, or existing market needs.

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TYPES OF COMMUNCIATION. INTERPERSONAL

NON VERBAL

WRITTEN

One of the most important forms of communication a person will engage in on a daily basis is interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication can be described in a variety of ways, we can define interpersonal communication as communication between a small group of individuals, typically in a face-to-face setting, where participants engage in a minimally restricted dialogue with each other. People who engage in interpersonal communication share some level of familiarity with each other, making them more likely to self-disclose information, or provide more intimate details than one would with a stranger, for example.

Nonverbal communication is anything besides words,

Written communication involves any type of interaction that makes use of any written word. As we participate in what is known as the information age, communicating through writing is essential.

Different types of conversation can have different goals and different assumptions about such aspects as relationships, power, status and so on. The Five Ds of Conversation: different ways of talking. Dictating: Telling what to do. Debate: Arguing with zero sum. Discussion: Open conversation. Deliberation: Joint decision-making. Dialog: Exploring one another

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such as gestures, actions, facial expressions, body language and other aspects of your physical appearance, that, when seen, communicate something. I am sure that you’ve heard the saying ‘it is not what you say, but how you Letters, e-mails, books, magazins, the internet etc are all say it’ or perhaps ‘actions speak louder than words.’ We send, receive and interpret nonverbal messages the same use of written communication. way we would oral or written communication. Good writing skills allow you to communicate your message with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone communication. Written communication is the most common form of business communication. It is essential for small business owners and managers to develop effective written communication skills and to encourage the same in all employees.

Concept Ideas:

Outcome Ideas:

Research Points:

- Social Media obsession & how it has changed how people communicate / converse

- Posters

- Weapon Of Choice

- Book

- To Write Love On Her Arms

- Unheard voices - Sexual exploitation of asian girls & young women - LGBT - Mental health & how it isn’t talked about enough - Discrimination based on gender / gender equality

- Magazine

- Mental Health Campaign Videos

- Manifesto

- 9/11 - Add your voice & show how dicrimination after 9/11 has affected our community

- Conversation between brain and body

- Advertising Campaign - Advertisements - Photography

- Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, - Dissecting peoples everyday conversations You Tube, Vimeo, Vine, etc...) - My daily conversations Friends/Family/Lectures/Work - Conversations in different cultures -How cultures control people’s lives and the limitations on social media

- Campaign Video - ‘Collide’ two mediums (print and video)

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- Social Media obsession & how it has changed how people communicate / converse

CONVERSATION IN CULTURES

- Conversation between the brain and the body

This idea came from the concept that different cultures see ‘conversations’ in various ways. The idea that in some cultures, it is forbidden for women to address the men in a certain way, or for lower class citizens to converse with the upper class. For this, I would possibly create an editorial piece for a magazine addressing these concepts and changing the way people see others.

- Conversations in different cultures -How cultures control people’s lives and the limitations on social media

Work culture is also something I would look in to. How people speak with each other, the tone of voice, the specific words we use, the energy, and even the structure of the dialog are palpable manifestations of work culture. Respect and empowerment are expressed in conversations between work colleagues. Something else I would look in to is how cultures control communiction among their people. Culture is, basically, a set of shared values that a group of people holds. Such values affect how you think and act and, more importantly, the kind of criteria by which you judge others. Cultural meanings render some behaviors as normal and right and others strange or wrong. The relationship between communication and culture is a very complex and intimate one. First, cultures are created through communication; that is, communication is the means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics— whether customs, roles, rules, rituals, laws, or other patterns— are created and shared. I want to create a typographic poster for this idea, showing how conversations in different cultures will differ.

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SOCIAL MEDIA OBSESSION Todays obsession with social media has taken control. My idea for this project is to illustrate how much it really has taken over. I wanted to point out how we, as a society are glued to our phones and all our social media. My idea was to create a series of illustrations showing just how little we notice the world around us when social media is involved. My illustrations would consist of ridiculous scenarious such as the earth blowing up, and social media updates being the main subject. The idea that people are so obsessed with updating their facebook profile, that they dont even notice what is going on aorund them.

Brain & Body For this project my idea was to create infographics illustrating how our bodies and brains communicate. Showing how our brain tells our bodies what to do etc. I would create some infographics that would serve a purpose of informing and educating.

- Unheard voices - Sexual exploitation of asian girls & young women - LGBT - Mental health & how it isn’t talked about enough - Discrimination based on gender / gender equality

LGBT UNHEARD VOICES

My idea for this is to explore the ways in which LGBT people, events and issues have been made invisible in mainstream accounts of history. I plan to create a campaign that combats discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. I will look at audio interviews with individuals who bore witness to or helped to shape LGBT history in some way. (http://archive.adl.org/unheard-voices/#audio) Before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, there was no common non-derogatory vocabulary for non-heterosexuality. The first widely used term, homosexual, originally carried negative connotations and tended to be replaced by homophile in the 1950s and 1960s. ‘They are discriminated against in the labor market, in schools and in hospitals, mistreated and disowned by their own families. They are singled out for physical attack – beaten, sexually assaulted, tortured and killed. In several countries, laws against cross dressing are used to punish transgender people on the basis of their gender identity and expression. And in some 77 countries, discriminatory laws criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships – exposing individuals to the risk of arrest, prosecution, imprisonment — even, in at least five countries, the death penalty.’ I want to create a campaign that enforces positive thoughts about LGBT. Although the discrimination has improved over time, it is still a HUGE part of peoples daily lives. For example, same-sex sexual activity in South Sudan has been illegal since 1899 (as AngloEgyptian Sudan). Penalty: Up to 10 years imprisonment. In the whole of Northern Africa, same-sex sexual activity, recognition of same-sex union, Same-sex marriage, adoption by same-sex couples, allowing LGB to serve openly in military are all BANNED! In Iran, Same-sex sexual activity illegal penalty: For men 74 lashes for immature men and death penalty for mature men of sound mind and is consenting. For women 50 lashes

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for women of mature sound mind and is consenting. Death penalty offense after fourth conviction. There are 78 countries where homosexual acts are illegal. The legal situation in India has been changed from “unclear” to “illegal”, because of the new ruling of the Supreme Court in 2013. In Uganda and Nigeria the situation got worse with the passing of new anti-gay laws. 3. There are 5 countries that we know of (Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and some parts of Nigeria and Somalia, that punish homosexual acts with the death penalty. (http://old.ilga.org/Statehomophobia/ILGA_ SSHR_2014_Eng.pdf)

INVISIBLE ILLNESS

This idea came from the topic of Mental Health, and that it isn’t talked about as openly as it should be. Due to the stigma attached to the subject of mental health issues, it is not something that is openly talked about and often those suffering with health issues such as depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts keep their emotions and thoughts bottled up. I want to bring to light that if these issues were talked about more, and more people were open to the conversations surrounding it, then maybe it wouldn’t be so much of a problem and a taboo topic as it is today in society. Whether those conversations are taking place through social media, in counseling or making it acceptable for them to approach friends/family. From my own experiences and research, I have found that men are less likely to talk about their experiences and what they are going through emotionally. Due to this, I feel this would be a good focus point for this project. My aim for this project is to create an advertisement campaign that makes people more aware of mental health issues, makes them more open to the idea of talking about it, and make it less of a taboo subject. The idea that ‘a conversation can save a life’will be a huge point in my work. I plan to produce a series of posters &

adverts with the purpose of getting people to talk about their own mental health problems and experiences. I also intend to produce a short campaign video to support the print aspects of this project. To integrate the topic of conversation back in to the project I plan to create a # trend to get people talking about the project on social media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5Ip60_ HJk

GENDER EQUALITY

My idea for this topic, is very similar to the mental health / LGBT ideas. I want to create a moving campaign that gets people talking about gender equality and how there are still limitations. The full time gender pay gap is 10% , and the average part-time pay gap is 34.5%. Approximately 70% of people in national minimum wage jobs are women. Up to 30,000 women are sacked each year simply for being pregnant and each year an estimated 440,000 women lose out on pay or promotion as a result of pregnancy. I want this project to showcase how gender equality still has far to go, and that the stereotype surrounding feminists has been pushed too far. A feminist is advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men. However, it has become surrounded by the stereotype that its all womens rights and that women are better than men. I want this project to show what the true meaning of feminism is, how we need feminism/gender equality and getting people to talk about it.

Hurt Words The Weapon of Choice Project was conceived to provide a graphic demonstration of the invisible pain caused by verbal abuse, It is meant to provoke a conversation about the problems of domestic violence, child abuse, and bullying. World-class professional makeup artists generously donated their time to the project. The artists applied makeup to each participant to simulate an injury, and the hurtful word chosen by the participant was then incorporated. The name “Weapon of Choice” was chosen for this project because, for the abuser, using words to harm is a choice. While listening to the stories from participants who had suffered abuse, they discovered how closely physical abuse followed verbal abuse. Where they found evidence of one, they found evidence of the other. When the abuser chose to inflict harm, verbal abuse was just one of the weapons in the arsenal. The Weapon of Choice Project was not meant to be, exclusively, an anti-bullying campaign. Nonetheless, many of the children who participated in the project had been affected by bullying, and they told us about their experiences. Some of their stories surprised not only our project crew, but also the children’s parents, who in some cases had never heard about the experiences the children recalled. Some of us on the crew came to this project with a “sticks and stones” attitude about bullying, but after this experience, we’ve all come to recognize how hurtful and damaging bullying can really be.

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The Mental Health Foundation work with to spread the word about Mental Health Awareness Week. Every year, between 11-17 May, Mental Health Awarness Week is used to help raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues. Each year, Mental Health Awareness Week have pushed topics like loneliness, anger, fear, exercise, alcohol and friendship into the public sphere. Each year, specialising in a certain topic of Mental Health. ‘We are working towards a world with good mental health, and ending the inequalities that face people experiencing mental health problems, living with learning disabilities or reduced mental capacity. We develop and run research and delivery programmes across the UK that have, for more than six decades, given us the evidence and expertise to know what works and how to intervene earlier. We use what we learn to help everyone by offering straightforward and clear information on every aspect of mental health and learning disabilities. Our advice also helps people help the people they care about too - in their families, their communities or their work. We influence policymakers and advocate for changes in services, using firm evidence and the voices of people with direct experience of the issues. We are prepared to “speak truth to power” and to campaign on the issues that affect public mental health and wellbeing and the lives of people who have, or are close to someone with a learning disability. We aim to inspire the development of a society free from stigma and discrimination, where everyone can achieve their potential to flourish and thrive.’ One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Around one in ten children experience mental health problems. Depression affects around one in 12 of the whole population. Rates of self-harm in the UK are the highest in Europe at 400 per 100,000. 450 million people world-wide have a mental health problem. Most people who experience mental health problems recover fully, or are able to live with and manage them, especially if they get help early on. But even though so many people are affected, there is a strong social stigma attached to mental ill health, and people with mental health problems can experience discrimination in all aspects of their lives. Many people’s problems are made worse by the stigma and discrimination they experience – from society, but also from families, friends and employers. Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems say that stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives. I plan on using this project to stop the discrimination caused by the stigma around mental health, and to make it a much less taboo subject. Be Mindful is a huge inspirtion for my project as it is for the same topic.

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Be Vocal: Speak up for mental health is an initiative encouraging people across America to use their voice in support of mental health. I chose to look at this project becasue it has a very similar aim as me, to void the stigma surrounding mental health and to encourage people to use their voice to benefit the cause. Be Vocal is a partnership between singer, songwrite and mental health advocate Demi Lovato, who is living with bipolar disorder; and leading mental health advocacy organisations, including Depression and Bipolar Disorder Alliance, The JED Foundation and Mental Health America. As one of 12.6 million individuals living with Bipolar Disorder, Demi Lovato knows first hand why being vocal matters. She says: - It is important to be vocal - not only for yourself but for your community - There are many things that each of us can do to make a difference - We need to treat mental health conditions with the same are and attention as any other medical condition - the brain is an organ too! - Living, loving and being well with mental health conditions is possible! - No one is alone - Aproximately 44 million - 1 in 5 americans - of every race, gender, religion and socio-economic status is diagnosed with a mental health condition in an given year.

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The University Wellbeing and Disability Services at the University of Huddersfield are available to support students in any area of personal wellbeing, and with any disability support throughout the time at the University. Whether a student is struggling to cope with course related or exam stress, family life, or your work-life balance they are here to help. They run a drop in service, and you can book appointments with advisors. They also run a variety of workshops & support groups that students can access free of charge and without booking a place. The Eating Disorder support group runs monthly and is a confidential space for you to share experiences with your peers and access support and guidance from members of the Wellbeing team. The support group is usually facilitated by two members of the Wellbeing team. The Mind your Head support group runs fortnightly throughout the academic year and is a confidential space for you to access if you are experiencing mental health difficulties. The group space is to allow you to talk in a safe environment with peers and members of the Wellbeing team. The support group is usually facilitated by two members of the Wellbeing team.

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Time to chance, is an anti-stigma campaign run by the leading mental health charaties Mind and Rethink Mental Health. The aim of time to change is to start a conversation, or hopefully thousands of conversations. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We want to empower people with mental health problems to feel confident talking about the issue without facing discriminationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. They came up with a range of projects, engaging people in all sectors and communities, encouraging them to start a dialogue and hopefully leading to a change in behaviour. We commission an annual survey which asks a representative sample of the English population questions about their knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviour towards people with mental health problems. In the most recent survey, conducted at the end of 2014, the sample size was 1736. The results from this survey showed that during 2014 there was a 6% improvement in attitudes between 2011 and 2014, against a 5% target. We also saw a record number of people saying they would be willing to live, work and continue a relationship with someone who has experience of a mental health problem.

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Since 2006, TWLOHA have responded to 180,000 messages from people in over 100 countries around the world. They have travelled more than 3 million miles to meet people in their communities. They have also shared more than 600 blog posts from contributors who wanted to let others know that they aren’t alone in their pain.

To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicidal thoughts. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and invest directly in to treatment and recovery.

In 2011, TWLOHA recieved a $1 million grant from the American Giving Awards, which helped bring heavy and light to 17 cities across the United States. TWLOHA have donated more than $1.5 million to treatment and recovery, and granted funding to 73 unique funding organisations and couselling practices.

The founder of TWLOHA, Jamie Tworkowski, didn’t set out to make a nonprofit organisation. All he wanted to do was help a friend and tell her story. When Jamie met Renee Yohe, she was struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. He wrote about the five days he spent with her before she entered a treatment center, and he sold T-shirts to help cover the cost. When she entered treatment, he posted the story on MySpace to give it a home. The name of the story was “To Write Love on Her Arms.” The title, “To Write Love On Her Arms,” also represented a goal—To believe that a better life was possible. Jamie and his friends soon began answering messages from people around the world, wanting to be free from self-injury, to stay alive and live fully. Jamie knew he had stumbled onto a conversation that couldn’t be ignored. In 2011, TWLOHA became an official nonprofit organization.

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Here are my initial sketches regarding a logo for my mental health campaign. I decided to try my ideas with the title ‘Mental Health Awarness’ because of the simplicity of it. It carries across a direct message of what the campaign is for. Although the main focus of this project is to stamp out the stigma around mental health, I also want the possibility of creating other campaigns around mental health using the same branding. I created some simple typographic designs, playing around with the layout and type. I felt like these were too plain and becasue they didnt have any imagery it seemed to formal and almost medical. I understand mental health problems are a serious medical problem, but I wanted this campaign to make it more ‘light’hearted’?. I wanted it to make it more open and comforting to those suffering. That is why I then went on to design some simple sketches that could later be illustrated in to a logo. I wanted these to be encorperated in to the posters and for people to feel comfortable, rather than feeling like they

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are having medical statistics and jargen forced down their throats. This way, it may also attract the attention of younger children. By attracting the attention of young children we can educate them earlier on that mental health conditions are not/ should not be seen as something embarrasing or life controlling. I wanted people to understand that there is help, conversations surrounding mental health can help and there are people you can talk to!

I then had a play around with looking at symbols that had hidden meanings. When you look at the line drawings on the left, you may not understand what their meanings are. I found that viking rune symbols have a hidden, meaningful message behind them. I chose ones that suited this project and the topic of overcoming mental health illnesses, such as strength, warrior, growth, joy, protection, journey and wholeness. Although I like the hidden meaning behind these symbols, I think I need somethng bolder for my design, This was the point where I went back to my original page of sketches. I chose the semi colon as my next experiment. I chose the semi colon because of a post I remember seeing floating aorund social media a few years ago. It was titled ‘Project Semicolon’ in which those suffering, or wishing to support those suffering from depression, suicidal thoughts etc would draw a semicolon on their wrist.

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“A semicolon represents a sentence the author could have ended, but chose not to. That author is you and the sentence is your life.” After laying down my ideas for the semi colon logo, it was at this point I decided not to use the title ‘Mental Health Awareness’ as I didn’t want to limit my ideas to a ‘made up’ charity. I am going to complete my designs with the propsal that they could stand alone as a campaign, or later be used by a specific charity such as mind or be vocal. This brings me back to my initial research where I talked about ‘no-brand’ companies in which a company created generic brand simplicity, by the absence of a brand name.

These are my logo designs as vector images. From creating them digitally it helps me decide which ones will look better as a printed design. I have decided to go with the 2nd design. The addition of the heart to the semi colon I feel makes it much more personal. The green and blue colours used suit the campaign of mental health as green is the colour associated with it. From asking around it was a unanimous decision that this was the favourite design.

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These were my initial idea sketches for my series of posters. I wanted them to be illustrated pieces that encorperated the topic of mental health, and social media. I plan to make a series of at least 4 posters that can work individually or as a whole. I am going to use the #talk as a way of promoting the social media aspect of this project. With #talk, people can start talking on social media sites such as twitter and instgram. I feel like this would be useful as those people who are not quite ready to talk to someone face to face can use the # as a way of communicating their feelings. My main idea is that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A conversation could save a lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I chose this slogan because of how unbelievably true it is. I often hear stories of people on the brink of suicide, who are about to give up everything becasue that can no longer cope with their illness. These people are still alive becasue just one person asked them if they were okay, or if they needed help. If those people hadnt started the conversation, the vunerable/ suicidal person could no longer be around today. A conversation really can save a life.

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I feel this design, although to the point is too simple. It attracts your attention and makes you think about it, however it doesn’t give much information about where you can get help to actually ‘talk about mental health’.

For me, this design has TOO MUCH going on. Typography designs work really well in getting alot of information accross but I feel like this one is too busy. You dont know where you need to look.

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This is one of the worse design. It has too many colours, fonts and designs going on for your eye to know where to look. I like the idea of the AWARE campaign, but I think it could be designed in a more simplified and informative way.

Personally, this is one of my favourite deisngs. Its simple, yet to the point. Using just the two colours works really well and doesnt over complicate the design. It has all the information you need at the bototm of the page, yet has an eyecatching design.

Although I’m always one for infographics, I feel like again, this has too much going on. It’s informative but it doesnt grab the attention of the reader quickly. I feel like an infographic would be more suitable for a presentation rather than an advertiment campaign.

This is another of my favourite designs. The simplicity of the black, white and red combined with a simple yet informaitve illustration works really well to inform the reader of what needs to be known.

After deciding upon illustrations for my designs, I now need to look in to the type of illustration I wish to do. Here is a varitation of vector, pop, painting, paper an manga illustration styles. I think for the simplicity of the design I am aiming for, a vector illustration would be best suited for me and my designs. I like the designs of the people without faces, as this would allow the main focus to be the surrounding information. My only concern for this idea would be that it would not show any emotion, and for a mental health campaign, I feel like there needs to be emotions visible. To counteract this I may try using more muted colours rather than a brighter pallates. My next step is to draw more detailed sketches of my intended designs, using the illustration style I wish to use.

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These are some more detailed sketches on what I plan to produce as my illustrative posters. I have decided to produce the character illustrations as faceless, as that way the reader of the pieces can intrepret the character in a more personal way. They could see the character and imagine it as themself or as a friend.

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After meeting with a my tutor Tracy, we decided I needed to create a more direct approach to this project. She said my ideas were good, they were just very broad. For this reason, I am solely going to look at one part of mental health rather than the broad sprectrum of it. I feel like the two sketches on the right are the srtongest of my ideas. I want to keep with the idea that a conversation could save a life. For this reason I am going to focus on the idea of mental health in the male society. Mental health issues within men is often something that is not talked about, and if ignored can go on for many, many years. With the idea of focusing on getting men to talk about their mental health, I set up a survey to discuss why men shy away from opening up about mental health issues. Is it really what people say, that they are just too brave and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to ruin their reputation. Or is there something more to this?

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Survey Results:

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Survey Results:

After reviewing the results from my survey, I wanted to take some of the most common symptoms of depression and illustrate these for my posters. Such as: feeling tired/irritable(75%) (insomnia) (52%), feeling empty (75%), suicidal thoughts (41.6%) and feeling isolated (52%).

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Minimalism describes a style which is distinguished by the severity of clarity, means and form as well as the simplicity in structure and texture. It is the art of expressing a complex topic with few simple objects or geometric figures and the elimination of forms and elements that are not necessarily needed. In the arts, minimalism began in post–World War II Western Art 1960s and early 1970s. It derives from the reductive aspects of modernism. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto “Less is more” to describe his design aesthetic. Artists associated with minimalism include Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Anne Truitt, and Frank Stella 1914 - 1996 Josef Müller-Brockmann was a swiss graphic designer and teacher. He was one of the leading pioneers of the Swiss Modernism and regarded as one of the most talented and resourceful advertising and design artists in Switzerland. Born the 9 May 1914 in Rapperswil, Switzerland Müller-Brockmann studied architecture, design and history of the art at the University and at the Kunstgewerbeschule of Zurich, under Ernst Keller and Alfred Williman. After an apprenticeship at Walter Diggelman, he established his own design practice in 1936 in Zurich, specializing in graphics, exhibition design and photography. He designed his first poster for the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft of Zurich in 1950 and his friendship with Samuel Hirschi, secretary of the Tonhalle, resulted in many years of collaborative work (till 1972). In 1958 Müller-Brockmann went on to found and co-edit the Neue Grafik magazine with Richard Paul Lohse, Hans Neuburg and Carlo Vivarelli. His clients included the TonhalleGesellschaft, the Opernhaus of Zurich, the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Zurich, L+C, De Bijenkorf, Rosenthal, Geigy, Olivetti, IBM, the Zurich Airport and the SBB Swiss Railways. He kept working, traveling and exhibiting his work until he died the 30 August 1996 in Zurich.

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Swissted is an ongoing project by graphic designer Mike Joyce, owner of stereotype design in New York City. Drawing from his love of punk rock and swiss modernism, two movements that have (almost) nothing to do with one another, mike has redesigned vintage punk, hardcore, new wave, and indie rock show flyers into international typographic style posters. Each design is set in lowercase berthold akzidenz-grotesk medium (not helvetica). Every single one of these shows that the posters advertised actually happened.

Kinfolk Magazine is an independent , relaxed lifestyle magazine, published by Ouur, that looks at ways for it’s readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with friends and family. It is based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Kinfolk was created by Nathan Williams, his wife Katie Searle-Williams and their friends Doug and Paige Bischoff in July 2011. The lifestyle magazine is aimed at young professionals. It aims to focus on home, work, play, food and community through photo essays, recipes, interviews, profiles, personal stories and practical tips. The writers, photographers, designers and chefs that contribute to Kinfolk are drawn from a large international pool of creative people, often featuring more than 50 individual contributors an issue. Kinfolk has been praised for its clean design and photographic aesthetic. The magazine is published in Chinese, Russian and Korean, and the company launched a Japanese edition in 2013.

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Mental health problems affect both men and women, but not in equal measure. In England, women are more likely than men to have a common mental health problem and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders. In 2013, 6,233 suicides were recorded in the UK for people aged 15 and older. Of these, 78% were male and 22% were female. 10% of mothers and 6% of fathers in the UK have mental health problems at any given time. What is depression?

symptoms are less severe and may not last as long.

Everyone feels sad or irritable sometimes, or has trouble sleeping occasionally. But these feelings and troubles usually pass after a couple of days. When a man has depression, he has trouble with daily life and loses interest in anything for weeks at a time.

What are the signs and symptoms of depression in men?

Both men and women get depression. But men can experience it differently than women. Men may be more likely to feel very tired and irritable, and lose interest in their work, family, or hobbies. They may be more likely to have difficulty sleeping than women who have depression. And although women with depression are more likely to attempt suicide, men are more likely to die by suicide.

Feeling sad or “empty” Feeling hopeless, irritable, anxious, or angry Loss of interest in work, family, or once-pleasurable activities, including sex Feeling very tired Not being able to concentrate or remember details Not being able to sleep, or sleeping too much Overeating, or not wanting to eat at all Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems Inability to meet the responsibilities of work, caring for family, or other important activities.

Many men do not recognize, acknowledge, or seek help for their depression. They may be reluctant to talk about how they are feeling. But depression is a real and treatable illness. It can affect any man at any age. With the right treatment, most men with depression can get better and gain back their interest in work, family, and hobbies. What are the different forms of depression? The most common types of depression are: Major depression—severe symptoms that interfere with a man’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy most aspects of life. An episode of major depression may occur only once in a person’s lifetime. But more often, a person can have several episodes. Dysthymic disorder, or dysthymia—depressive symptoms that last a long time (2 years or longer) but are less severe than those of major depression. Minor depression—similar to major depression and dysthymia, but

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Different people have different symptoms. Some symptoms of depression include:

What causes depression in men? Several factors may contribute to depression in men. Genes—men with a family history of depression may be more likely to develop it than those whose family members do not have the illness. Brain chemistry and hormones—the brains of people with depression look different on scans than those of people without the illness. Also, the hormones that control emotions and mood can affect brain chemistry. Stress—loss of a loved one, a difficult relationship or any stressful situation may trigger depression in some men. Most of the time, it is likely a combination of these factors.

These are some sketches for my new ideas, regarding the series of posters. I want to create something minimalist and easy on the eye yet bold. I want to create something aimed towards the men who stuggle with their mental health.

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After looking in to the colour theory to decide upon a colour theme for my designs, I have reinforced an initial idea that I had. The idea was to use a shade of blue with my designs, with accents of grey on a white background. I felt the use of a plain white background allowed me to keep with the minimalist theme very well by allowing use of white space. Again, only using two colours keeps the design minimal, but the blue and grey will be used to differentiate between various parts of the design. i.e. informative text, illustration, eyecatching titles. I want to use a shade of blue that is bright/bold enough to catch the eye of a passer by, yet is still representaitve of the cold, sadness and distance that may be felt by the viewer I am aiming to target.

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These are my first digital experiments. I kept with my minimalist theme and followed my sketches, playing around with different slight variations. I am quite happy with how these are currently coming along. I am going to carry on with these ideas, to develop a strong visual piece.

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After developing my designs to a point where I am happy with the general appearance of them, I went back to my old design to see where I was going wrong. After looking at them, I rememberd the logo I had developed for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Talkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; campaign as a recognisable element. When I originally designed these I was not designing for a male audience, and I now feel that they are too feminine for my tager audience. From this point I have decided that I will leave them out from my designs, and leave the bold, minimalist designs and #talk to be the recogniasble elements of this project.

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The next step in this project for me is to finalise my designs. To do this, I am going to change the information on my designs so that it is more helpful to men, and those ashamedof their depression.

Isolation: Everyone feels lonely from time to time, but long periods of isolation can have a negative impact on your physical, mental and social health. Staying in contact with loved ones can prevent lonliness or isolation. If your family dont live locally, technology can help you easilly stay in contact. Emptiness: The symptoms of depression can be complex and vary widely between people. But as a general rule, if you are depressed, you feel sad, hopeless and lose interest in things you used to enjoy. The symptoms can persist for weeks or months and can be bad enough to interfere with your work, social life and family life. When you’re depressed, you’re in a rut. Push yourself to do something different. Go to a museum. Pick up a used book and read it on a park bench. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Take a language class. You could do this with friends, or even meet new people while doing these activities. Insomnia: Those suffering from depression can suffer from a range of insomnia symptoms including but not limited to, difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset insomnia), difficulty staying asleep (sleep maintenance insomnia), unrefreshing sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Although just 15% of people with depression sleep too much, as many as 80% have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Patients with persistent insomnia are more than three times more likely to develop depression. Therapists often use “reconditioning” as part of a treatment plan for insomnia. With this method, people are “reconditioned” to associate the bed with sleep. If you find yourself unable to sleep at all, get out of bed and move to another room, so that you only associate the bed with sleep and not with wakefulness. Suicidal: The excessive negativity caused by depression can lead to repetitive, unhelpful dwelling on death. Depression also reduces problem-solving ability and causes increasing ‘tunnel vision’, falsely making suicide seem like a solution to problems. Repeatedly thinking about suicide can be very risky. It should be taken seriously and dealt with promptly. Many of us have found that the first step to coping with suicidal thoughts and feelings is to share them with someone we trust. It may be a friend, a therapist, a member of the clergy, a teacher, a family doctor, a coach, or an experienced counselor at the end of a helpline. Find someone you trust and let them know how bad things are. Don’t let fear, shame, or embarrassment prevent you from seeking help.

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