Exposure: Exposing the Myths and Realities of Living with a Mental Illness, IPFW Senior Graduating Thesis Project
View full book here: https://issuu.com/ddoepkephoto/docs/exposure___issuu_
To graduate from the IPFW Visual Communication and Design program, every student must complete a year-long thesis course that showcases what you’ve learned during your time at IPFW while highlighting your concentrations.
My final project was a 152-page book, designed magnets with mental health resources, business cards, and a website. Competing against professional agencies and individual submissions, my project won Judge’s Choice, the Gold Award in Collateral Material Publication Design, and the Gold Award in Elements of Advertising for Photography at the 2017 American Advertising Federation Advertising Honors.
Thesis Statement: As mental illness continues to grow as a societal issue, we have to explore a more creative method of how to address and present the problem. The goal of this project is to increase public understanding of mental illness while at the same time allowing people to therapeutically share their stories.
One-on-one interviews have been combined with expressive portrait photography and compiled into a finished print piece, which has incorporated elements of graphic and layout design.
Exposure is the culmination of:
• 18 interviews
• 15.6 hours of interview audio
• 119 pages of transcribed interviews
• 44,355 words
• 16 photo shoots
• 1,685 raw images
• 164 final edited images.
Within its pages, this book has stories from individuals living with depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and a myriad of other mental health diagnoses. There is spoken word poetry about time spent in a mental institution, criticisms of how higher education treats those who are mentally ill, and stories of how mental illness can change someone’s life. There are resources for those who are seeking help as well as eight pages of the American Psychiatric Association DSM-V criteria and information about the mental illnesses mentioned within the project.
With the photography, I focused on the person’s personality and stayed away from harmful and stereotypical imagery that typically associates itself with mental health projects. I included ring light portraits of each person as well—forcing the viewer to look into the eyes of a person who has seen struggle and stigma. I kept the layout design clean to allow the story to flow clearly and not compete with the imagery.
Each student had to meet with faculty at 25%, 50%, 75%, and finally have a big 100% final presentation. We had to do research and find creative ways to tell the story of our thesis, showcase our own talents, and build a display that will house our project during the final gallery art show. I was also selected to be a part of a small group of students to give a separate presentation to our university’s Chancellor, representatives from ad agencies, and local business owners.
Spread Examples:
Cover
Introductory Spread
Spread Example: Ring Light Portraits
Spread Example: Introductory Spread to Each Person's Chapter
Spread Example: Layout
Spread Example: Layout
Spread Example: Layout of the Criteria & Information Section – The final chapter at the end of the book contains the APA DSM-V definitions of all of the mental illnesses described and mentioned in the book.
Photography Examples:
Photos of Senior Thesis Display:
www.danielledoepke.com
