Project Information
Name of Project: LGBTQ+ Mental Health Project
Class: Media Design 1
Due Date: 12/02/2021
Date Posted: 12/01/2021
Program: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere
Project Description: After choosing a broad topic we were passionate about, we needed to narrow that topic to a specific cause we could design for. We also had to choose an organization that aligns with our topic for this project, and research their specific needs and goals. We then needed to design a project around this research that could be used around Alfred State’s campus.
My Social Justice Topic
As stated in this post and this post, the topic of my project is the LGBTQ+ community, with a narrow focus on LGBTQ+ mental health. This crisis in most seen in LGBTQ+ young adults that is commonly caused by bullying and rejection. Seven out of every ten LGBTQ+ young adults ages 15-24 are victims of bullying and harassment, whether in school or on social media. One third of those victims report “significantly more binge drinking, missing school because they felt unsafe, being threatened with a weapon at school, being depressed, or having suicidal thoughts.” Lastly, LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, and it is estimated that an LGBTQ+ young adult attempts suicide around the world every 45 seconds. I decided to partner with The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to providing suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.
My goal for this project was to create attention-grabbing components. The first portion of the project was posters that can inform readers of core facts about the cause, and actionable items they can take to learn more. Multiple variations of these posters would be designed to be mass produced and distributed throughout campus. The second component would be a more elaborate online infographic that would give more information about the social problem, with information on resources such as the TrevorLifeline. Finally, the third component would be a motion graphic that would mirror the information on the infographic.
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Posters
I decided to redesign my protest posters from this post for this portion of the project. I readjusted the layout of the posters, and made more variations based off of these parameters.
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Infographic
After the posters were finalized, I progressed forward by making an infographic with more detailed information on the cause. The images shown are consecutively one after the other, but I cropped it into four parts for this post for better visibility. The infographic covers LGBTQ+ mental health, bullying, homelessness, and actionable items, such as supporting The Trevor Project, to take to help this cause.
LGBTQ+ Motion Graphic
After completing the infographic, I made a motion graphic based off the information presented in the infographic. The motion graphic presents the information in a more dynamic way while still keeping true to the project itself.
Project Resources
Ahuja, Amir, et al. “Bullying and Suicide: The Mental Health Crisis of LGBTQ Youth and How You Can Help.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, vol. 19, no. 2, 2015, pp. 125–144., doi:10.1080/19359705.2015.1007417.
“Bisexual Youth Experience.” The Trevor Project, 14 Sept. 2021.
Brown, Sarah. “Covid-19 Sent LGBTQ Students Back to Unsupportive Homes. That Raises the Risk They Won’t Return.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1 Dec. 2021.
“Bullying and Suicide Risk among LGBTQ Youth.” The Trevor Project, 14 Oct. 2021.
“Estimate of How Often LGBTQ Youth Attempt Suicide in the U.S.” The Trevor Project, 30 Sept. 2021.
Mcconnell, Elizabeth A., et al. “Identity, Victimization, and Support: Facebook Experiences and Mental Health among LGBTQ Youth.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 76, 2017, pp. 237–244., doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.026.
“Multisexual Youth Mental Health: Risk and Protective Factors for Bisexual, Pansexual, and Queer Youth Who Are Attracted to More than One Gender.” The Trevor Project, 30 Sept. 2021.
Newport, Frank. “In U.S., Estimate of LGBT Population Rises to 4.5%.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 20 Nov. 2021.
“Saving Young LGBTQ Lives.” The Trevor Project, http://www.thetrevorproject.org/.
Schmidt, Samantha. “1 In 6 Gen Z Adults Are LGBT. and This Number Could Continue to Grow.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Feb. 2021.
“Strategic Plan & Mission.” The Trevor Project, 23 Nov. 2021.
“Suicidality Disparities by Sexual Identity Persist from Adolescence into Young Adulthood.” The Trevor Project, 5 Oct. 2021.
“A Survey of LGBT Americans.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020.
Unicorn, Heckin.’ “How Schools in Singapore Erase LGBT PEOPLE: A Comprehensive Summary.” Heckin‘ Unicorn.
Julie Elwood 