The Brief

This NHS service provide a ‘crisis support / suicide prevention’ card to all patients with a history, or early warning signs, of mental distress. The intention of this is to provide a permanently carriable list of services that they can reach for in times of crisis to prevent them causing themselves serious harm.

In mid 2023, mental health services in sussex were re-distributed, splitting crisis services by geographic region. This created the need for new card designs (previous designs below).

The Approach

Whilst the initial brief was to simply update the cards, I recognised the need for a more substantial redesign. Mental health crises are often accompanied by tunnel vision, brain fog, and other comprehension & ‘coordinated behaviour’ problems. In order to prevent serious harm & save lives these cards need their presence, function, & information to be so clear that they can be used without thought.

The colour, layout, arrangement of services, word choice, and type hierachy are all designed to ensure fast seamless comprehension in a ‘panic’ scenario. Ensuring the user is able to access the right support for them as soon as they need it. The cards are then printed with a laminate coating to reduce wear and tear and guarentee long-term ligiblity.

Previous card designs

Redesign