For my thesis, I focused on a topic that I'm passionate about; Student mental health. Through the design research process, I developed a concept designed to alleviate student stress through a unique new form of therapy. My thesis deliverables were a brand guide for the Smart Therapy brand and an information guide about the Smart Therapy product that puts the brand guide to use.
For busy students in Toronto, Smart Therapy is a new form of alternative therapy that utilizes artificial intelligence to create an authentic counseling experience at home. The physical product takes form as a smart speaker console. It uses artificial intelligence to learn the best ways to guide you through your unique mental health journey and eliminates many irritating and time-consuming aspects of traditional, in-person therapy. Smart Therapy erases the burden of travel time, never cancels an appointment, there is no judgment or counselor bias, and most notably, eliminates the lengthly process of finding a therapist that’s “the right fit”, due to the artificial intelligence adapting its personality style and counseling methods to fit the individual needs of each client.
Smart Therapy was developed for busy students struggling to find mental health support and caters to working around their already full schedule. Anxiety, stress, and depression are among the most frequent mental health challenges while attending school, and among the most treatable through counseling or therapy.
The Smart Therapy brand personality intends to take a step back from the typical healthcare brand’s more neutral, cooler-colored branding. There is a large opportunity in the healthcare branding market to differentiate, and that is what Smart Therapy’s brand personality intends to accomplish. It aims to appear as warm, approachable, bold, and playful. The brand as a whole attempts to start the process of healing before the console is even turned on, by making the target audience feel secure with a soft colour palette, playful shapes and patterns, and brand consistency. Overall, the brand personality aims to leave the audience with feelings of comfort and hopefulness with its light-hearted, and fun identity.
Smart Therapy Brand Applications
Smart Therapy ad campaign: This advertising campaign introduces the public to Smart Therapy and focuses on communicating that students have mental health options, even if they may think they don’t. The campaign uses flat color, duotone photography, and unique shapes in a fun and exciting way to portray this message.
