About Face
Shaping how PTSD treatment can turn your life around.
AboutFace is a campaign initiative founded in 2010 by the VA’s National Center for PTSD—the world’s leading center for PTSD research and education. The mission is threefold: to raise awareness of post traumatic stress disorder and its symptoms, to confront stigmas surrounding PTSD, and to encourage veterans to seek the exemplary care provided to them by the VA.
Our team consulted by naming the initiate, developed a brand identity, expanded the vision for the campaign rollout, and sequenced supplementary marketing materials that corresponded with the website launch, testimonial video production, and poster series.
Are you into etymology? Good, you’ll geek out to this part:
THE FULL 180° - The origin of the name AboutFace is historically potent, deriving from a memorable military term that for Veterans, signals their attention to turn 180 degrees in direction. The name’s core essence acts as a physical and mental reminder to turn oneself around. People whose lives are impacted by PTSD relive the trauma of the past and often struggle finding hope in the future. The name (and tagline) thus become an urgent call-to-action to seek VA treatment that will “turn your life around.”
ABOUT - Being a preposition, the word “about” focuses on any given subject being discussed. In the case of the campaign, the subject becomes personalized by each Veteran’s vulnerable testimonial. “About” becomes a spotlight: It’s about you, your experience, your trauma, your symptoms. It’s about your family, and your fellow vets. It’s about how you can change your life for the better.
FACE - The word “face” also has unique Inflection points. As a verb, the name asks you to face your fears, face the root of the problem, face your inner enemy, face the truth of your circumstances, face how it’s effecting your life and your loved ones. As a noun, we showcase the real faces of Veteran’s and their stories with PTSD.
Similar to the It Gets Better Campaign, AboutFace personifies real individuals who have voluntarily chosen to open up about their own past trauma and their triumph with treatment. You come literally face-to-face with courageous veterans—many of whom putting personal discomfort aside—to publicly help others who share in their story.
Our logotype expresses everything mentioned above. By turning the word “Face” 180 degrees, we are visualizing the direct connection to the historic origin of the phrase; while focusing your attention back on the word “About.” These simple (yet powerful) type shifts speak to the core of the campaign. The nuance of every Veterans struggle and how to reach personalized help—is what it’s all about.
In tandem with our brand strategy, we worked closely with the VA’s in-house team to feature sample footage of Veteran testimonials in an intro video, shown in several visible venues throughout New England, (including Boston’s Fenway Park).
“The AboutFace initiative profoundly shows Veterans who may be struggling with PTSD that what they are facing is normal, many people are dealing with the same issues, and that help is available. It is my sincere belief and hope that AboutFace can help returning soldiers and Veterans.”
— Congressman Charles B. Rangel
The Face of PTSD, is like you and me. To coincide with the themes of the visual identity, we designed the website to focus on featuring a grid of Veteran (portrait) testimonial videos. The logo treatment on the homepage also served as a window to various faces that would rotate change when reloading the site. One of the prominent web features was a search tool that filtered frequent questions and topics of interest many veterans with PTSD would find helpful.
Turn to your truth. Distinct imagery was used to show the identity in fresh and compelling ways. Online banners displayed two-sided portraits of the same individual, extending the concept of one ‘turning’ to face their own personal PTSD truth.
A resource and one-on-one therapy app was proposed for those needing 24 access to mental health counseling.
It’s About Relationships. A poster series was created featuring real life Veterans with PTSD. Each poster focused on the strain their struggle had on interpersonal relationship; whether it be with friends, loved ones, or fellow vets.
It’s about publishing success stories. A quarterly magazine concept called It’s About shared further in-depth stories, tips and resources. Postcards were also great handout tools at clinics and VA’s—making the campaign accessible to all those who might not have access to seeing digital content.
The Face of Freedom. Featuring another key graphic element in the design system, a second series of posters were created based on the inverted letter “F” found in the logo. Using that as a large grid element, the counterforms were perfect spaces to housed the logotype as well as the corresponding messages relating to each of the Veteran portraits.
“Through the AboutFace videos, viewers meet Veterans and hear how PTSD affected them and their loved ones. But most importantly, visitors to this website can also learn the steps to gain control over their lives.”
— Former Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Robert Petzel
Face to Face. Social media was one area we envisioned the campaign could expand even further. A prototype for an app was conceived where veterans could connect on a platform specifically dedicated to them. Veterans would have the option to categorize which military division they were in, and build a community network to help foster positive growth in support of on another. The apps logo was made from two capital F’s forming an A—connecting it to the parent brand, AboutFace.
