In 2022, the HSE Office of Mental Health Engagement and Recovery (MHER) along with their support partner Mental Health Reform (MHR) hosted two consultations with women; one related to their experiences of mental health services and another about the impact of perimenopause and menopause on their mental health. They wanted to involve as many women as possible in the process and wanted to be able to share the women’s experiences but without revealing their identities in order to create a safe space for women to be open about their mental health experiences. Piquant was brought on board to support MHER and MHR in generating awareness of the consultations and in capturing the outcomes of the consultations in an authentic and visually appealing way.
What we did:
- Illustrations
- Animations
- Graphic Design
- Publication Design
- Photography
- Campaign Management
- Digital Marketing
WEBINAR PROMOTION — To connect with women from around Ireland, we supported MHER and MHR in the promotion of their webinar consultation. A 2-week campaign strategy and content schedule was developed to connect with women who have experience of mental health challenges and women who have experience of perimenopause and menopause. We used a combination of email marketing, social and digital marketing and direct marketing to build awareness nationally. We developed a suite of social and digital assets that would appeal to the audience while aligning with the MHER brand.
ANIMATED VIDEO PRODUCTION — We used animation to capture the women’s experiences wiThe use of 2D illustrations, soft colour palette, textures and hand drawn styling elements made the videos feel more personal and put the emphasis on the personal and delicate nature of the subject. Characters were created using soft round shapes to complement this style and to represent women’s voices from a variety of backgrounds and age groups. The voiceover also reflected this through the use of different female voices telling real stories from women who attended the consultations, and a narrator’s voice helped to coherently deliver these stories and other key information. Typography throughout highlighted key moments in the scripts.
REPORTS — We supported the designing of two reports: one exploring menopause and perimenopause and another looking at women’s mental health services. Utilising the animations created for the videos, still graphics and characters were used throughout the reports. Typography and hand drawn styling elements were used throughout to highlight key findings from the conversations and mirrored the video concept.
PHOTOGRAPHY — At the in-person conversation cafes, in Galway and Kilkenny, we captured a bank of imagery to be used for future reports, as well as on social and digital channels. Due to the delicate nature of the subject, we ensured photography did not include participants’ faces. Instead, we focused on the round table discussion where participants were able to write their thoughts and ideas on a table cloth. This focused our photography on event set up, tablecloth writings and hands’ writing and gesturing.
IMPACT — At the end of the project, we had produced two animated videos and two reports, which allowed women who attended the consultations to tell their stories anonymously. The reports were launched in March, to coincide with International Women’s Day where senior politicians and ministers were in attendance. The videos were played at the launch and released on socials. By capturing and expressing women’s real-life experiences the reports and animations are key tools in driving policy changes and reform in the delivery of women’s mental health services in Ireland.
