Gratitude Journal
This project is very dear to my heart. I had the opportunity to co-found and design this journal. We targeted junior high and high school students who were struggling with mental health.
Client
Gratitude Journal
Category
Delivered
June 2020
Gratitude Journal was inspired as an aide to suicide prevention in teens. The idea came from the positive psychology of practicing gratitude. I wanted to be a part of this project because when I was in junior high I had a classmate take his own life in a very public setting. That event changed my life forever. If I could be some source of help I wanted to do it.
The Problem
Journaling is not as common as it once was. We also were targeting youth that could do everything digitally. On top of that, we wanted the journal to appeal to people who don’t journal.
From a design standpoint, I was working with my co-designer and best friend. This was the first time we would be doing print/publication design on such a grand scale
Scope & Goals
- Create a journal easy for everyone to use
- Teach the practice of gratitude through our journal
- Include a section for venting with a traditional layout
- Add in daily affirmations
- Sell to schools/youth groups
- Create a logo and website as well
Prompts
The list shown above is very similar to what our first few months of work were. We started creating lists with prompts, affirmations, and anything else we felt we should include.
Production
Print Ready
It took us roughly 3 months to get a good concept of layout and be able to comfortably fit the content we wanted. When it came time to print we realized we needed the price to be our main concern. Thus, we altered our design to get our total costs lower. That way we would be able to sell the journal for a reasonable price.
Changes Made
- Removed color from the inside layout
- We changed the headings to be fillable dates rather than specific. That way we could sell the journal for a longer period
- Adjusted page number to cut down on costs
- Rearranged layout to allow for 3 prompts, an affirmation, and daily check-in meter
- Adjusted the number of pages devoted to the vent section
Unique Designs
We created an experience where you would have a consistent prompt everyday and 3 prompts that changed. This was important because it asked you simple questions catered towards positive thinking.
A happiness meter was introduced at the bottom as a way to keep track of your mental health.
We put a daily affirmation at the center of each day so you wouldn’t miss it.
Post Production
Social Media
Aside from the general creation we also did social media posts. Here are a few of our favorites!
Hey! Follow us on social media!
Website
We also created a Shopify account for ordering our journal online. We kept it relatively simple in design because our primary consumers were schools or youth groups.
Want a journal? Purchase one here!
Results &
Conclusion
I am no longer an owner of this company but I am extremely proud of the outcome. We have sold to high schools in Utah and multiple youth groups with at-risk teens. I had enormous support from family and friends online as well. I am thrilled this project was able to help others and I hope it continues to be an aide in mental health.
