PACKAGING FOR MENTAL HEALTH

[07. Up-to-date
Where packaging is constantly in tune with the society of which it represents the values.
Packaging mirrors the culture of our society and in turn contributes to creating the same. It does so through messages, that are transmitted via its shape, its graphics, its symbols: it thus transfers values and messages and takes part in the evolution of contemporary social life.

From wellness products to awareness campaigns: packaging is at the service of mental health

Last October 10th, like every year, World Mental Health Day was commemorated; celebrated for the first time in 1992, it is promoted by the World Federation for Mental Health and is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The objective of this Day is to give visibility to problems related to mental health, in order to increase public awareness and mobilise actions to support the psychological well-being of all people, in whatever condition they find themselves and without any age discrimination, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin. The 2023 edition focuses precisely on mental health as a fundamental human right (Mental health is a universal human right): every person, whoever and wherever they are, has the right to the highest possible standard of psychological well-being, which must take into account both protection from risks, access to care, and inclusion in the community.

World Mental Health Day represents an opportunity for public and private organizations, as well as for all those involved at various levels in the field of mental health, to promote initiatives for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders, while eliminating stigma which is still associated with it.

 

 

 

According to a 2022 study by the WHO, already in 2019 one in eight people worldwide suffered from a mental disorder. Since 2020, with the spread of Covid-19, the situation has worsened considerably and a true global crisis has been generated. In fact, estimates indicate that, during the first year of the pandemic, the increase in anxiety and depressive disorders was more than 25%, undermining the mental health of millions of people.
Currently, with the effects of Covid-19 still persistent and the continuous succession of dramatic events, from war conflicts to the disastrous consequences of climate change, in a situation of continuous uncertainty, in which everything still seems to escape one’s control, the phenomenon is far from resolved and is continually getting worse.
In this context, in parallel with the progressive increase in the demand for care from professionals and healthcare facilities, people have begun to turn their attention to products and services for mental well-being: not just drugs, but different types of solutions that offer remedies to relax at home and improve sleep, or to reduce stress and concentrate at work.

 

 

From vitamin and mineral supplements, to essential oils and gummies, up to scrubs and masks: there are an ever-increasing number of products in the nutraceutical and personal care sector that promote psychological well-being, both in their formulation and in the messages they convey .

Calm Chews della statunitense Healist Naturals is a limited edition CBD-based product to support the body’s ability to deal with daily stress and discomfort. With this product, launched in 2021 in support of World Mental Health Day, Healist Naturals launched the Defend Wellness campaign, with the aim of combating the social stigma that can prevent people from speaking up and seeking help for mentalhealth problems ; the project saw the collaboration of two artists: Anthony Burrill and Luciano Cian.

Healist Naturals is a partner of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illnes, an association that raises awareness, supports and educates people and families affected by mental illnesses.

 

 

Relish Life is a subscription service that provides home delivery of weight loss medications once a month. The product is delivered in a box that contains useful elements to accompany weight loss without this being harmful to the person’s physical and mental health.

The development of the Relish Life packaging, designed in 2021 by Card79 and winner of the 2022 Core77 Design Awards del 2022, paid particular attention to the user experience, especially regarding the unboxing phase and accompanying the consumption of the product, as well as the communication of motivational messages aimed at promoting the person’s mental health.

 

 

There are numerous mental health kits designed to be used not only at home, but also in places of study and work.

Student Athlete Mental Health Week is the name of the initiative promoted on the occasion of World Mental Health Day 2023 by the American Hilinski’s Hope foundation, founded by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the memory of their son Tyler. This week of “collective action”, which this year saw the participation of 165 schools and universities across the USA, aims at fighting the stigma associated with the mental health of student athletes, increase resources for their psychological support on campuses and thus promoting their well-being. For the Student Athlete Mental Health Week, a box has been created with information material and accessories to demonstrate your membership and support for this social cause.

Intended to complement and not replace psychological therapy, The Thought Box is a line of mental health kits with materials for creating activities aimed at overcoming difficulties associated with negative moods. The color of each kit identifies a specific emotional state. Supported by research and developed based on mindfulness techniques, each kit focuses on specific emotions to help process difficult thoughts and identify healthy coping mechanisms. Designed for the Indian The Thought Co. by Ibrahim Attarwala, the 4 kits were studied with the help of a team of clinical psychologists analyzing the symptoms and behavioral patterns of people suffering from anxiety, depression and other conditions of psychological distress.

 

 

We can then mention the awareness campaigns conveyed by product packaging which, although not directly aimed at treating mental health, can still promote and support it, also expressing the brands’ support for the psychological well-being of their consumers.

To promote the launch of the “Movement for Mind” program, designed to improve people’s well-being through physical activity, ASICS in 2021 sent influencers its sneakers packaged in oversized medicine blisters, similar to packs of painkillers, to convince them to participate in the initiative. This campaign, developed in collaboration with Neil A Dawson and Company, is an example of ASICS’ commitment to supporting mental health through exercise, as the company’s founder coined the slogan “Sound Mind, Sound Body” in 1949 “, which recalls the Latin motto “Mens sana in corpore sano”.

 

 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, Burger King had referenced mental health in its “Real Meal” campaign in 2019. Each pack was associated with a mood, including “Pissed” (angry), “Salty” (frustrated) or “Blue” (sad). At the basis of the campaign, there was the concept of “you can’t always be happy”, making a clear reference to the competitor McDonald’s and its “Happy Meal” for children, but at the same time expressing a powerful message that wants to dismantle the social construction of having to constantly project happiness and always feel good.

 

 

Finally, design experiments that force the use of packaging as a mass medium also include concepts developed in an educational context: everyday products, such as drinks or cosmetics, which convey messages of awareness and involve users to promote mental health.

Special One soda is the concept of a social campaign proposed in 2021 by Gosha Chubukin of the Russian HSE Art and Design School, to combat the stigmatization of mental disorders among young people. The flavors of the five drinks correspond to the five most common personality disorders, the characteristics of which are introduced on the front of each can and then detailed on the back. The package also includes the use of augmented reality to show further information on each pathology and to access a test to identify the first symptoms of a personality disorder.

“Always” is the concept of a line of cosmetics that Camilla Bartelucci, a student at the University of Bologna, imagined for the Tezenis company. The project, designed to promote the psychological well-being of Generation Z, associates each product with a concept and an awareness phrase, as well as a specific organization with a social purpose, establishing an evocative link between the name of the product itself and its function . For example, the sun cream is called “I love my skin” and has the message “We are eight billion different shades”, to strengthen self-esteem and affirm beauty without stereotypes.

Once again, by placing itself in constant relationship with the social context in which it is inserted, packaging not only allows us to address the problems linked to the material aspects of daily life, but, by virtue of its communicative potential and its ethical values, it also allows to respond to intangible needs, such as those of a psychological nature, such as helping to improve people’s mental health.

 

 

 

 

[ Disclaimer. Article of a non-commercial nature distributed for the sole purpose of information, criticism or teaching. All trademarks shown belong to their legitimate owners; the rights relating to product names, trade names and product images are the property of their respective owners.

 

[ Opening image by Drazen Zigic available at Freepik