PSA Campaign
From my fourth semester, this project was honestly pretty fun to make! Around that time I downloaded Procreate and drawing has never been easier for me. Say goodbye to drawing with the brush tool with a dang computer mouse. That sure was painful.
For this project we had to make 6 different promotional pieces in line with a PSA topic we could choose for our campaigns. I went with Depressionand anxiety since I felt like it's still important to talk about in our day in age. The six different advertising ads were and instagram post, a billboard, a bus stop add, a postcard, a poster and a magazine ad.
Project Type
PSA Campaign
Tools Used
Sketchbook
Procreate
Photoshop
sketch ideas for the campaign
These are the inital sketches I drew up for the PSA depression campaign.
The main illustrations I drew up for the campaign.
These are the final illustration designs I ended up making for the depression and anxiety campaign. They all have a theme where someone is always there for you when the going gets tough.
The six advertisement mockups
As mentionned before we had to make 6 different promotional mockups for our campaign. I also added a Slogan and Tagline to the mockups. The slogan being "Mind your mind", the tagline being "Let’s talk, listen, and heal together." Furthermore I also added a depression statistic about Canada and also some different stress related facts for 4 of the mockups.
Research on Depression and anxiety for the PSA campaign
The topic of depression and anxiety can be sensitive for many people, but I feel like a lot of individuals have dealt or currently have it and struggle to break free. I wanted to shed some light on these two subjects as well as to show some of the signs of depression and anxiety we see in someone, as well as some facts and statistics. A few signs of depression in a friend or loved one that I want to express in my pieces are the significant changes in appetite one can have, not being able to sleep through the night, being in social isolation and feeling alone and having emotional outbursts. When stressed out, people with anxiety disorders tend to have a state of mental hyperarousal, frequently marked by worry, which leads to hyper sleep reactivity. Research also found connections between anxiety disorders and changes in a person’s sleep cycles. When you are anxious and ruminate before sleep, this affects rapid-eye movement or (REM) sleep. Which may induce more unsettling dreams and result in a higher likelihood of sleeping disruptions. Having nightmares during sleep may also reinforce a negative association of dread and sleep. Appetite changes commonly linked to anxiety can go both ways. It may be that your friend is continuously less hungry or more hungry than usual. The possibilities of both are due to the stress levels that persist in the brain during anxiety. As the length of stress increases, eating habits normally transition from a loss of appetite to emotional overeating. All this to say, that if you notice a sudden shift in your friend’s eating habits it may also be a sign of depression. When people with depression isolate themselves, they could be ruminating, lost in thought or feeling drained. It is always good to reach out to them if you believe this is the case. It may not seem like it but by supporting them and showing you care you’re helping them brighten their day despite the depression they might be dealing with. These are just a few signs of depression and anxiety. One very surprising statistic is that 11% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 experiences depression at some point in their lives. 11% might not be the biggest number briefly but considering that these mental health issues can arise at a fairly young age in somebody’s life is very concerning. In my PSA campaign pieces, I want to have an overarching theme of comfort. Where somebody can be there for you whenever you need them the most.