Ana Leshchenko
we're talking about anxiety
There is huge misconception of what anxiety is amongst young people and this misunderstanding stops young people from talking about their anxiety and asking for help. Anxiety is a human emotion as well as a disorder and throughout Ireland, it is only referred to in a medicalised way where only disorders are really talked about. As a result, young people who are dealing with anxiety and are not diagnosed often feel like their anxiety is 'not bad enough' to talk about or ask for help. 'here' is an organisation which focuses on talking about anxiety in a relatable and human way which helps young people relate and feel less alone.
'you can't remove anxiety but you can prepare people for it.'
'Anxiety: the game' a card game created by 'here' and government funded, is designed to help young people learn about anxiety and cope with it. The game is split into three categories; learning, symptoms and coping and within these categories are answer and engagement cards. The answer cards ask users anxiety related questions and the engagement cards prompt users to talk about their own experiences which helps open up conversations around anxiety and help normalise non diagnosed anxiety. The learning category teaches young people what anxiety is, the symptoms category goes through what the symptoms of anxiety are and the coping category gives various techniques and solutions young people are able to use to cope with their anxiety. This game can be played with other people but is also completely solo friendly. Each answer card has the source that the information on each card has come from. They are all credible and users can search them up for more information on a specific topic.
One of the main goals of 'here' is to encourage and support young people who are dealing with anxiety. Therefore, the microsite was designed with the intention of guiding users through it to signify the organisation being there for them and helping them with their anxiety. 'here' hosts monthly events to promote their game and encourage young people to play. The microsite has a homepage, about section, game section and events section.
The sense of place in an urban city depends on how a person connects with and understands the place they are in. The various elements that compose a built environment and the landmarks and stories that live within feeds into how people connect to an urban city. However, everyone is different and the way the components in an urban city are perceived depends on people’s own personal preferences and even upbringing. In a world so vast and terrifyingly large, wayfinding helps forge a good bond by defining a built environment in which people can quickly feel safe and grounded in. Wayfinding is the process or activity of ascertaining one’s position and planning and following a route. (Google.ie, 2019) It is a systematic approach for navigating through our built environment whilst creating comfort and clarity in them. Alongside this, wayfinding can help bring forth the stories and deeper meanings of an urban city through their design. Part of having a good sense of place with an environment is all about how safe and welcome you feel in it, and this is something wayfinding has the power to do. This thesis explores the idea of how wayfinding contributes to building a good sense of place in urban cities and how the wayfinding principles can help elevate the stories in the built environment. For this thesis, Dublin City Centre, Ireland is used to discuss
these topics along with various other ideas through a graphic design perspective.
Hey! My name is Ana Leshchenko and I am a Dublin based designer who enjoys using design to find human centred and meaningful solutions to complex problems. I am very passionate about creating design that tells a story and sparks emotion. My areas of interest are ui/ ux design, web design and branding and I particularly enjoy the research and ideation part of a project. I also have a hidden talent for 3d design and am very good at using 3d software. I am eager to get myself and my work out into the world, expand my skillset and start my journey as a professional designer.
