Task 4 research
- 1. Task 4: Research Emily Shaw
- 2. Stamp out the stigma campaign -The NHS produced a set of posters to campaign and raise awareness about mental health issues in series of posters the posters all have the same layout where there is a face directly in the center of the page with generally quite dull lighting and the face looking directly towards the viewer as if to try and make eye contact, each poster also contains the words that may be used as an insult at people with mental health issues. The campaign also uses a variety of different people in the images to help show that everyone can be effected by mental health issues its not just young or old people. -The ‘Stamp out the Stigma’ campaign was generally made up of posters. The logo of for stamp out the stigma is also very bold and effective due to the bright red colour and the way the words are made to look like it has been stamped on the page. -Another noticeable thing about this campaign is that in the lower section of the page there are some facts and figures to help show how common and normal mental health issues are also in the sentences at the bottom the page they include real stories of people with mental health issues and this may make people more aware or the issues people can face. As well as this the colour scheme is very effective as its very dark with pops of white for the text beneath the image and then the highlights of red brought through the logo and some key words in the sentences below the faces. -As well as this in their campaign to get pledges they had some celebrity endorsement from people such as Stephen Fry to try and encourage people to pledge. -The campaigns aim was to ‘On 1 April 2010 we launched our campaign, asking people to make a pledge not to use words such as ‘psycho’, ‘retard’ and ‘nutter, which can hurt, offend and stigmatise people suffering from these complex and often distressing conditions.’ -’In April 2011 we achieved our initial goal by collecting over 106,000 pledges from members the public promising not to use these stigmatising words.’ -The simple yet bold font is very effective at making the posters easy to read and understand as well as not using complex language helps it communicate with a vast range of people.
- 3. Mind- Find the Words campaign -Mind have had a variety of different campaigns to try and raise awareness of mental health issues and generally push these campaigns more during mental health awareness week. -The find the words campaign helps people talk to their GP if they think they are struggling with mental health issues. -The campaign helps support the people working in the GP practices and the people visiting the GP practice rather than just targeting one of the other. -For this campaign on their website they have put together short films display how people can talk to their GP’s about mental health issues they may be facing. -Not only does this campaign provide help for people trying to approach their GP it aims to help raise money for better training for the GP’s and nurses so that they can provide better care for people with mental health issues. -This campaign uses a lot of bright colours which is quite unique to how other organisations have gone about portraying this issue, as well as this mind have used a lot more positive outlook on it to help show another side to it. The bright colours help to portray a more positive message and engaging campaign as it makes a very eye catching website and look s they have used what look like hand drawings rather then actual images of people which I think is very effective way of keeping it looking professional yet still personal and engaging to people who make not have a personal link to mental health. -The blue colour scheme used by mind is also very effective at give it a calming look as the blue and yellow tones compliment each other to give them a more calming look to he homepage and less black and white. -The handwritten font also helps makes the page appear more homemade and friendly as it doesn’t appear like a big organisation has made to try and just raise money its helping to actually support people who are struggling to talk about their mental heath issues.
- 4. Rethink Mental Illness -The rethink campaign was aiming to get people to get in contact with their local MP to help stop the government cuts on vital support of people with mental health issues. -A place to call home was specifically targeting people with severe mental health problems and help to provide these people with safe and secure homes where they can receive the help and support they need. -Their aim was to get sustainable funding for these people to have supported housing. -They have a very simple layout to their website which easy for anyone to follow and also the colour scheme they use is very simplistic as they have the basic black, white and blue with pops of red so only primary colours used to ensure that the home page isn't over powering and too busy to focus on anything. -As well as this the way that the text is written is fairly straight forward and doesn’t eliminate anyone from it as it isn't targeted towards anyone in particularly however I do think that it may be aimed towards a slightly older audience as it the images used aren’t of young people and the way the website is laid out and structured I think would appeal to an older audience as it isn't as memorable and eye catching as the home page for Mind. -The place to call home poster do have more of a positive look to them as they are trying to promote something good for people with mental illness rather than showing them as a problem.
- 5. Mental health and the death of the 'headclutcher' picture- www.bbc.co.uk -BBC wrote a story on the charities and campaigners who were being backed by Stephen Fry to try and change the generic image which is used to show someone suffering with mental health issues. -The campaign was launched by Time to Change and anti-stigma organisation run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. Their main aim was to change the way that stories to do with mental health are displayed. -‘"One in four of us will have a mental health problem in any year - and our responses are very, very varied - we don't all spend our time slumped in a corner with our heads in our hands," says Sue Baker, the director of Time to Change.’ -The campaign carried out some research and found that 80% of the 2,000 people they asked said that the ‘headclutcher’ image didn’t show how it felt to have a mental health problem. -To help reduce the ‘headclutcher’ images Time to Change have released a number of images for free use by the media so that the generic images can stop being used to illustrate mental health problems. -The images that Time to Change put out are all off people who have experienced mental health issues. The images all show more of the face than what would usually be shown to represent someone with mental health issues. -‘The campaign has received the backing of the UK Picture Editors Guild, which is just as keen to see some fresh, realistic and more positive images associated with mental health problems.’
- 6. Time to Talk Day -All the information used on this infographic is from Mind, Time to Change and the Mental Health Foundation therefore it’s a trustworthy source of information. -The way that this is presented I think is very effective as it uses a simple yet bright colour scheme and doesn’t target as specific gender or age and therefore keeps it open to anyone and also by only having simple facts and figures it also doesn’t eliminate any age groups. -Another good thing about this infographic is that the numbers are highlighted and made clear using a simple serif font in bright colours and makes it clear an eye catching to an audience. -The aim of this infographic is likely to be to show how common mental health issues are is trying to break down how its still a taboo topic even though 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue throughout the year. As well as this the poster highlights the fact that people are very cautious and anxious when it comes to telling their family and friends as they can be afraid of what they will think of them. -The basic illustrations which go along side the statistics are also an effective way at displaying the information and helping to visualise the information being provided as it helps to show a visual representation of the facts and therefore this makes it more engaging and eye catching to an audience. -Another thing that this poster does is that it ends with a positive outlook on the time to talk day as they use the idea of hope and that they hope that 1 million conversations will be held across the Time to Talk Day. -Also on this poster not only does it display facts and statistics it also shows a small amount of information on the campaign itself and what they're aiming to do in the speech bubble which is representative off the idea that its ‘time to talk’ about mental health issue. -The bold ‘it’s time to talk time to change’ is very eye catching and helps draw the eye to the bottom of the page once the eyes have flowed down from the mental health speech bubble and over the statistics it leaves a bold final message making it clear what their aim is.
- 7. Mindfulness campaign- Mental Health Foundation The look of this campaign I think is very effective as the jumble of things which is representative of what can stress people out and what can lead to people getting issues with their mental health. As well as this I think that the posters are very eye catching due to the bold imagery within the poster it helps to draw the eye in an unusual way as there isn't always just one key, bold image there is usually quite a lot of words on the poster to help catch the eye of an audience. The bold yellow colour is also fairly unique to mental health campaigns there is usually quite dark look to them where as this has the yellow colour which helps add a slight positivity to the overall poster and it doesn’t just have this one shocking image. Also there’s a slight play on words with the mind ful ness it the top left corner which could also reflect how peoples minds are full of stress which also relates to the image and the ‘what's playing on your mind?’ comment in the bottom right corner which is a rhetorical question making people ask themselves the question and also brings up the idea of what's so important to jeopardise your mental health. The simplicity of this poster I think is very effective at portraying the message as it shows the mind as the busiest, messiest and most chaotic on the person. Also this poster has quite a lot of representations for example it shows the people having normal bodies suggesting that its not always visible when someone has a mental health issue. As well as this there are different things that effect and control people and this is an effective representation of that due to the tangled mess of things in the peoples ‘head’
- 8. Talking Change- NHS logo -This NHS leaflet I think has some strong features but also some weaknesses for example the graphics and imagery looked quite dated and not very eye-catching for a younger audience. However some good things about this leaflet is that I like the purple gradient background and the ‘Feeling under pressure?’ rhetorical question in the center as I think its effective at helping catch someone's attention if they were under pressure and could go on the help them deal with stress in a more healthy way. -Another good thing about this leaflet which is more discrete is the way they have mentioned mental health issues being common and showing that having a mental health issue is very normal as seen by the statistics in the info graphic earlier, but by having the words ‘common mental health problems’ helps to make people suffering not feel alone as it helps to normalise the idea that many people suffer with mental health problems not just them. -I think that the imagery on this poster isn't as good as others I have looked at as it doesn’t catch someone's eye or stand out amongst a large selection of of leaflets its quite plain and bland looking this could be due to the easy to read fonts or the image of the steam coming out of kettle. I think the idea and imagery behind the steam coming out of the kettle is effective however I think it could've have be represented in a better way to help make a more engaging look for the front page of a leaflet. -As well this it helps to indicate their aims of putting on workshops and talking therapies for people with mental health problems. By displaying this information clearly helps people know how they are aiming to help them and whether they think it would help them.
- 9. Amnesty International -I think amnesty international’s campaign was very affective and eye catching by using this bright bold yellow colour in ever poster and using real stories from people who have suffered with mental health problem. Not only does it show what each person suffered with it also shows where they are now and what they’re doing which helps to inspire people to progress through their issues and not to let mental health issues hold them back. -By having the amnesty international logo visible and large it helps to clearly indicate who this campaign has come from and who to get in contact with if you're in need of support due to there being a web address that people can use to get in contact with them to get help. -Another good thing about these posters is how they use short simple sentences in the bold black font which helps to catch peoples attention and also means that there isn't too much for people to read when they first see these posters because they're too the point and don’t ramble about unnecessary things. And this then helps people to carry on reading and process the information quicker. -Also due to this poster being very simple and by having the images as a head shot and at eye level helps to catch peoples eye as it feels like they're looking at you and can help make it look more personal as if they're talking to you specifically.
- 10. See Me campaign-I really like the look of this campaign as I like the look of the hand drawn characters and writing as looks as if it would appeal to a younger audience and because of all the bright colours it makes it very eye catching colours yet stills runs with a more simplistic theme so that the page doesn’t look over powering. -Also the idea of its okay not to be okay I think would be very effective at helping people that didn’t know they had a mental health issue or hadn't been diagnosed with a mental health issue because they didn’t feel like there was anything problems. As well as this it helps to add a positive under tone to the whole campaign especially by using these hand drawn characters it is makes the whole campaign feel more personal by using the the hand written font. -This campaigns aim was to help to try and end the stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems. The campaign included 6 segments these were understanding mental health stigma and discrimination, experiencing stigma and discrimination, stigma relating to individual mental health conditions, what you can do to stop stigma and discrimination, the role of family and friends and also includes personal stories. By including the personal stories segment I think helps people not feel alone. -I think the use of these bright colours helps to also give of positive connotations and doesn’t look at mental health in a negative way like the what a lot of campaigns use a black and white colour scheme.
- 11. Tea and Talk -Tea and talk was an event that the mental health foundation encouraged people to get involved with. The event asked people to hold their own tea and talk events either on the 10th October (mental health day) or any day of the year. The home page provided lots of information for anyone that wanted to have a go at putting on their own tea and talk party. They provided resources, recipes and the information on how to donate to the mental health foundation. -I think this is an effective way of getting people involved especially with the popularity of The Great British Bake Off inspiring people to start baking this event helps stick with that trend but also helps spread the word about the mental health foundation. -Also on the homepage of the tea and talk page there is a section on a real story about 2 peoples tea and talk event and how these 2 people hold a tea and talk event every year since they started in February 2013. this can also help inspire people try it as you can see what other people have don’t before it helps give people an idea of what kind of things they could do.
- 12. ‘I’m fine’- Mental Health Foundation -This campaign is trying to fight the idea that when people are asked how they are people generally say that they are fine even if they aren't. Not only are they trying to change the way people react to being asked if they’re okay they are also trying remove the gap in men and women as females are much more likely to seek help then men even though mental health issues are just as common amongst men. -I think the good thing about this campaign is the banner for it has an image of a men rather that in many other mental health campaigns there's more images of women. -This campaign was started in November 2016 after they found out that people say they they're fine 14 times a week but only meant it 19% of the time this then lead to them campaign to get people to be more honest about how they feel. This campaign as gave people a number that they could text to get tips on good mental health and I think this is a very good way to get people to improve their mental health as it is a quick and easy solution for people with busy lives that don’t have the time to go and get professional medical help. -I like the simplicity of their banner I think its very eye catching because of the unusual layout and by using the mans face to make the words more off center and I think this helps create a more interesting banner look at also where it written how the person is actually feeling I think by blurring some of the words helps to show the how the person really feels can get ‘blurred out’ and forgotten about because people are too busy with their everyday life.
- 13. Kilimanjaro trek- Mental health foundation -The mental health foundation also put on a trek to Mount Kilimanjaro to help raise money the charity to help people with mental health problems. -By putting on events like this it can help to increase the charities popularity and get some more publicity by making it more high profile and getting as many people to join as possible. -Not only does the trip give people a once in a lifetime opportunity it also gives people the chance to raise a lot of money for charity and helps a variety of people by getting sponsors from their friends, family and colleagues. -By having all the information on one page helps people get all the information that they need quickly and easily without having to search for it in other places also this page contains the itinerary for the trip so that people can know what to except from the trip. -By putting on such a unique event helps to due more attention to the charity as not many organisations would put on events like this to help try and raise money as its very unique and a once in a lifetime experience.
- 14. Logos -I think that the mind logo is very effective at showing how sometimes your mind can be a mess and this can be seen in the scribble like font and scribble before the word mind. -Also I think that the handwritten font works very well and makes it look more personal like a handwritten letter. -The dark blue shade also has connotations of tranquility and calmness it also is considered to be beneficial to the mind and body and therefore it is effective as one of the colours used for a mental health charities logo colour. - The mental health foundation logo is a lot more simplistic and plain as it only has the more interesting section of the logo as the two letters M and H crossing over each other and linking together other than that it is very simplistic both in the style and colour and therefore helps to not distract from any of their work and helps to make a very memorable logo as there isn't much to remember about it as it isn't over complicated. -This logo is quite different from the others even though it still uses the same blue colour to help give off those calming connotations however this logo is a lot brighter and more eye catching because of the use of the blue circle to highlight the white cut out letters and this would look very effective on many different pages. Also the circle has symbolism of unity and inclusivity. -I think logo is very effective by using the two hands linked together or ‘clasped’ together to help represent their organisaton name and also reflects their slogan of your not alone as there's the two hands holding each other which then forms the heart shape and I think this is very effective at showing there message through a simplistic image of hands linking.
- 15. Redbubble Merchandise -On redbubble there's a variety of different merchandise relating to mental health awareness ranging from stickers to t-shirts to scarves and many other items they all have a range of different ideas behind them whether it’s the semi colon movement or more about the erase the stigma idea however I like a lot of the bright colours and more of the positive look that has been given to this merchandise telling people its okay to have mental health problems and that its normal. -Because there are so many different idea on mental health merchandise I think either the very bold colourful ones stand out and the more black and white simple ones help make more of a bold statement and are also very eye catching but the colourful approaches help to give more of a positive outlook on it rather than the black and white gloomy negative take on mental health issues. Also I find that the colourful imagery helps draw in more peoples attention even if they have nothing to do with mental health issues they are just very attention grabbing and can help capture peoples attention.