Designing Graphic Messages to Promote Mental Health

Post-secondary students are experiencing elevated and increasing levels of mental illness. Colleges and universities have developed programs and services to help address this problem, however many institutions are overwhelmed by the high demand for counselling services and students must wait long periods for an appointment. This study explores the development and design of a persuasive mental health campaign that may help to increase the resilience and mental health of post-secondary students. The study consisted of four phases: exploratory interviews, a survey on the student experience and mental health, and two rounds of evaluative feedback on prototypes from different populations. The results of these research phases led to insights on factors affecting mental health, the importance of collaboration between designers, experts, and the target audience, and design guidelines for persuasive graphic messages.