Mind Wide Open is a series of three books which explores mental illness and how the topic is portrayed on social media. While much of mental health representation on social media is an oversimplified or glorified version of what living with mental illness is really like, this project aims to combat that by highlighting the darker realities of how people experience mental illness. By collecting posts from various social media sites and forums, such as Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter, and organizing them into books, this project aims to highlight the multiple facets of mental health in a way that is not frequently represented and give deeper insight into the realities of mental illness. This project was created to fulfill my senior B.F.A. capstone requirements.
This project, specifically the book Sounds Like a Woman Problem, was selected as a winner of the 2021 Society of Typographic Arts STA100 competition. This competition recognizes local and international projects of typographic excellence. Link.
The first book in this series, Dark Days, focuses on depression. Content within this book highlights the many ways in which people experience depression, ranging from more mild experiences with the mental illness to more severe.
The second book within this series, Sounds Like a Woman Problem, focuses on mental illness in women. Specifically, this book focuses on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a condition which affects an estimated 5% of AFAB people.
The third and final book in this series, Just Breathe, focuses on anxiety. Content within this book highlights the wide range of ways in which anxiety becomes a part of daily life.
Created January - June 2021.