CHRIS JOHNSON
communications specialist

TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Among the most challenging aspects of the design work for GMHCN was unifying the five respite centers operated by GMHCN across the state in a way that identified them visually as a group belonging to GMHCN after they had spent the better part of a decade operating essentially as independent units, each Center director creating their own marketing materials, virtually none of which identified the Centers as being in any way connected with GMHCN. The only thing uniting them was the flier shown here, which was generated in Microsoft Word in a template no longer accessible, and which my boss loved—refusing to relinquish it until the information on it became factually inaccurate. I was then permitted to very slowly begin working with the directors to establish a style that was professional but not corporate; youthful and carefree—but not juvenile; and, welcoming and friendly—but authentically so.

2017 - This was the single document used statewide to explain the five regional respite centers operated by GMHCN.

2018 - This letterhead template was developed to ease the transition away from the old flier, which the org leader was personally attached to. The painted circle motif used for the website and other Network publications is introduced discreetly (literally in the background).


2019 - The regional publications are eliminated, and publications recognizing the Centers as part of GMHCN are distributed statewide, with the lotus introduced the latter part of the year as a unifying motif.



2020 - The full complement of regional and statewide publications is realized, recognizing the Centers as part of GMHCN. Lotus leaves become a unifying design element throughout, distinguishing these from other Network publications.


2022: Trace elements of the inherited design remain in the family of print materials that support community awareness of the Centers and their operations, allowing for the continuity and honoring of tradition that is important to many staff and stakeholders, while embracing the change necessary to meet expectations and deliverables in a challenging post-pandemic landscape.







Holidays at the Centers are an opportunity for people with mental health concerns an opportunity to avoid loneliness and isolation during the "most wonderful times" of the year. Many of the people who show up on holidays are people who have been shunned by their families—sometimes for decades—because of the symptoms of their diagnosis, or in some cases just the diagnosis itself.
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Because most of the places our peers rely on to be able to get out of their homes and into public with little trouble or expense (libraries, community centers, shelters, etc) are closed on major holidays, the Centers become that much more vital as a resource for feeling and being connected.
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