Competition Brief (ISTD): Imbalance - Depression

The word imbalance indicates that something is uneven and therefore is considered wrong. The brief asked to show an imbalance in the world through typography, and imagery to complement it. At the beginning of the module I got to choose between two brief, and I decided to choose the Imbalance brief because of its relation to my chosen discipline of editorial design. The idea of taking a concept and turning it into a visual analogy was fascinating.

After extensive research I found the audience to be mature, sophisticated and cultured. I found that the audience would relate to a contemporary tone of voice, something simplistic in nature but strong in information.

Depression is a mental disorder that causes a low mood, low self-esteem and takes the enjoyment out of activities for sufferers. The concept of the design was to have the connotation of the imbalance in depression within men and woman. Originally the idea was to go for a detailed infographic, but as the development process progressed, a simplistic and light way of showcasing the imbalance seemed to relate better with the target audience.

I chose the color palette by the universally known male and female colors, giving the viewer instant recognition of who the statistics refer to. Adding to the effectiveness, of the design outcome, is the typography, which is authoritative and reliable, making the audience understand that this information is trustworthy and they should pay attention to it. The statistics are bold and confident and the eye is immediately drawn to them, the accompanying imagery makes the design more aesthetically pleasing.

The brief was very enjoyable to complete because the subject is something that would appeal to a wide range of people and it has the ability to make a difference.

During the research I came across this painting by Ruth Batke, and I was inspired. The art is called ‘I can feel your pain.’ And, the viewer gets drawn into the pain and suffering the painting connotes. It really speaks to the heart.

The moodboard above shows the targeted audience in a visual manner.

A mindmap is a great method for generating ideas. It is very free and spontaneous and allows for all ideas, good and bad, to be written down and then reflected upon, taking forward the stronger routes.

The image above shows a second solution for the design brief. I had a hard time deciding which design to take into the concluding stage, but after an in-depth analysis of the visual communication of both designs, I found the final outcome to be much stronger.

This is the final solution for the Imbalance Depression brief.

The strength of the design comes from its versatility and its ability to be made into a campaign that would work across a variety of media, as shown by the above images.