LSM students are helping the NHS to raise awareness of post-natal depression after receiving the brief for a live poster campaign. Final-year design undergraduates were invited to research and design a series of posters to increase understanding of important issues surrounding maternal mental health.
They presented their final proposals to Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), which went on to showcase one of the designs at a national Early Implementer Site (EIS) conference in London. This design was created by BA (Hons) Media Production student Michael Sharp, also one of four posters selected by the Department of Health to be presented to Dr Daniel Poulter, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services. Michael said: “I am absolutely thrilled that my design has been presented to a government minister. The partnership project with the NHS was really challenging, as we had no previous knowledge of the subject, but I feel that producing awareness-raising work that could be used in hospitals and health centres is a great achievement for me.”
Elizabeth Hillman, Health Visiting Development Lead with Lincolnshire Community Health Services, said: “The collaboration with the University of Lincoln’s School of Media has been a really positive experience for everyone involved. I am absolutely delighted with the posters that the students have produced. They have proved themselves to be very creative, and have delivered eye-catching and interesting designs when responding to the brief, which of course deals with an extremely sensitive topic.”
The project was coordinated by Colin Reiners, Principal Lecturer in the Lincoln School of Media. He said: “The project has been a fantastic opportunity for all of the students involved, and they have worked extremely well as a successful team. Our postgraduate directing the project was Hazel Donnelly, and our students Stephanie Gaffing, Jack Darnel and Michael Sharp have all made a great contribution to the campaign for Lincolnshire Community Health Services.”
The partnership with the NHS is one of many live briefs completed by our students. Completing commissions such as this provide a client-focussed environment for the students to work in, and contribute to their preparations for employment after university.