I can treat my mental health!
I can put myself first
I can chase my dreams
I can be happy
I can be confident
I can learn
I can treat my mental health! I can put myself first I can chase my dreams I can be happy I can be confident I can learn
“ICandy” was a student-run initiative by The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. It aimed to destigmatize mental health through healthy conversation and uplifting content. Below is all the work I helped with.
I can treat my mental health!
I can put myself first
I can chase my dreams
I can be happy
I can be confident
I can learn
I can treat my mental health! I can put myself first I can chase my dreams I can be happy I can be confident I can learn
I can treat my mental health!
I can put myself first
I can chase my dreams
I can be happy
I can be confident
I can learn
I can treat my mental health! I can put myself first I can chase my dreams I can be happy I can be confident I can learn
I can treat my mental health!
I can put myself first
I can chase my dreams
I can be happy
I can be confident
I can learn
I can treat my mental health! I can put myself first I can chase my dreams I can be happy I can be confident I can learn
Beginning of the Project
ICandy was created by a group of first-year advertising students, starting in a learning community at Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.
Idea Stage:
The main title is a play on the phrase “eye candy,” which is often derogatory to specific groups of people. The campaign planned to flip this on its head, focusing on the “I Can” homophone. This project used a media takeover of Iowa State to carry its message.
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Student Mental Health: A survey conducted by the Greenlee learning community found that students struggling with mental health are unaware of or neglect campus resources due to the stigma around mental health.
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Student Voices: Talking directly to students was thought to give ICandy a feeling of rawness and sincerity. Focusing on student experiences provided a spectrum of mental health stories that students could relate to.
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Indirect Destigmatization: A common obstacle to mental health resources is that students feel their issues are not serious enough to seek help. By highlighting stories big and small, we show that every struggle is valid and authentic.
Logo Creation
I created the primary logo for the project. After a multi-revisional process, I created a logo that accomplished what we wanted for ICANdy. A sleek, playful logo that carried our core messages. The background was a lollipop to play off the word '“candy”, but more importantly, the phrase “I Can” is underlined and highlighted.
Content Rollout
The content calendar was the final stage of ICandy. Handled by the advertising club, Cardinal & Gold.
“The ICandy Podcast” was an opportunity to interview psychologists, journalists, and student professionals about college mental health. The podcast covered how to handle mental health in different fields and the complexity of mental well-being. I hosted, edited, and coordinated podcast episodes. The project totaled five episodes.
