Concept Designs
The countryside has always close to my heart. The rolling fields are so calm and tranquil, however they can be very isolating, especially for farmers who spend the majority of their time alone in the fields, with their worries, and there are quite a few.
Farmers are some of the most at risk communities when it comes to suicide. A study in 2012 indicated that farmers in the UK have higher levels of mental ill-health than those working in other industries. (Edwards- Jones, Edwards, & Hounsome, 2012). This is leading to disastrous consequences, some of which are even fatal. In 2019, a total of 102 suicides by individuals working in agricultural and related trades were registered in England and Wales. (Office for National Statistics, 2019).Therefore, farmers need to be encouraged to seek mental health advice and support. Talking can save lives. The worries can range from lots of elements such as financial issues, red tape, the weather, long working hours, feelings of isolation and under-appreciation can all play their part in affecting the mental health of farm workers. (Hampshire County Council, 2022).
The first and secondary research, I conducted enlightened me to the extent that farmers and the farming community need support to their mental health. The most interesting research was when I was talking to individuals from various charities. The first project of my final year I created a campaign to encourage farmers and the farming community to seek help to improve their mental health.
I have hypothetically collaborated with FCN, to encourage farmers to seek mental health support. I have created four designs to achieve this. Some are directed at the farmers themselves and others are directed at friends and family of the farmers. Some farmers may not want to acknowledge that they are struggling, or they are unaware that they are suffering from issues such as depression and may need friends and family to encourage them to seek mental health advice.
Touchpoints
For this project I conducted extensive research to determine what touchpoint would be most relevant to the farming community. I narrowed down the field to two areas, the pub where a lot of the farming community gathers to discuss important topics, and the fields where they spend a lot of their time, often working too long (which leads to fatigue and declining mental health.)
One of the most difficult obstacles was determining where I could place my touchpoints in the countryside. There are no billboards, very few buildings and public transport touchpoint. The first one I created was an aeroplane banner. Often you see a lot of these when in the countryside. There are perfect for campaign or brand exposure and they make everyone look and take notice. I also wanted to really think out of the box with the touchpoint. The second was an air freshener. It sounds simplistic but it is also effective. There is room for a collaboration with a tractor company where air fresheners like these could be sold with every tractor, spreading the mental health messages far and wide. Lastly, the final image shows a bar stool with one of my designs on it. I chose this touchpoint because of its relevance for the farming target audience. As I stated the pub is one if the best places to have any touchpoints due to its popularity with the farming community. I didn't want to create any touchpoints that interacted with alcholo because I felt it created the wrong message, so I settled for bar stools. They are a good touchpoint for the campaign because people are forced to look at them when they go to the bar or pull them out to sit on. I didn't want to create touchpoints that were quick, I wanted to create some that would really resinate with the farming community. This campaigns purpose is too important to ignore, and the farming community needs help now.
Software
Software used: Adobe Illustrator, ProCreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dimensions.
