Happiness
Project
Breif
objective
Reflecting on the things I need during my own mental health triggers is the inspiration behind this booklet. Mindfulness techniques, like grounding, walks, and even taking a step back during the experiences during mental health triggers. By incorporating neutral colors (nature) and similar “inspirational” things I say to myself during these triggers to help bring me back to reality and out of my own head and trauma.
Mood for Booklet: empathetic, understanding, calm, casual, friendly
Timeline
5 Weeks
September 26- October 29, 2024
Research
Typeface
Color
Ideation
DrAFTS
During the first round of drafts, I wanted to incorperate several of the coping methods I use during an anxiety attack, two of these being grounding and box breathing. This was also a type and layout study of how I wanted the booklet to look over the 8 pages.
During this time, I was still working on perfecting a color palette as well as using different typeface combinations to see what worked best for my theme.
During this phase the layout for the booklet becomes a little more defined for the booklet but went back and forth with setting the type to my theme. I wanted it to feel like something that felt a little more authentic to myself. For example the color still felt off (pink) and with the elements I wanted to combine them a bitmore to include my support system.
During my third iteration, I combined more of the elements like the “to do” list which is something I commonly do when I feel overwhelmed and to have a plan of action in front of me. Adding the “Support System” was especially important to add to this as well because I know I constantly need reminded of it during high anxiety moments.
The elements of the booklet seemed to be in place. In my final iteration of the booklet, I focused on spacing of paragraphs, kerning and tracking of the type used, using type as elements and adjusting the last page to send a clearer message to my target audience, myself.
Final Work
With the final iteration of the Happiness Project, spacing was one of the bigger concerns. I went back through on the entire project and made the body text the exact same size and adjusted the kerning and tracking on all body paragraphs.
On the page 4, “focus on the real,” I played with the sizing a bit on the numbers to make them feel a little more squeezed similar to how it feels before the grounding technique is done. With this as well it gives the body text a comfortable space to flow into.
The final page I struggled with, while like the importance of the “YOU ARE OKAY, ALIVE, AND BREATHING” it wasn’t coming off as being read this way. And after adjusting it several times, I took a break and looked at mental health instagram to see if I could find anything I could use as a better ‘reminder.’ This one I feel has a little better of a punch to it especially since anxiety and depression can be so overwhelming that yes being okay, alive, and breathing is great, but being reminded that the world around me would not be the same without me in it.
