Take a moment for yourself

— Grady, “Deep Breath in the Sun”

Calm is a sleep, meditation, and relaxation app. This campaign promotes a less recognized feature: ameliorating workplace stress. Finding pause in a stress-inducing work environment is difficult. It’s also the most important place to do so.

I chose a line from one of my favorite songs to serve as the inspiration and lagline for this campaign.

Minority mental health is at the forefront of this campaign. Caught in the productivity current of capitalism, many find themselves overwhelmed A.M. to P.M. Additionally, workers of color are more likely to report burnout and stress at work than white employees, which can stem from the fear of not deserving their jobs (Hurtado et al.; Kirk et al.; Washington). The target audience is stressed workers of color. Most experience workplace stress, but this campaign advocates for the wellness of groups who could use the most help. These ads would be advertised in areas where workers of color live, commute, and work, specifically on public transportation systems and billboards, as well as near underresourced neighborhoods.

Ads 1 and 2 refer to familiar work tools that can remind workers about well-being. Ad 4 illuminates the incongruence in thinking about work while off the clock. Ads 3 and 5 discuss time. Calm has workplace videos as short as 60 seconds, an achievable amount of time to spare. A work break doesn’t have to take long, but it also needs to be an intentional mind reset — and not a necessary act like going to the restroom.

Humorous copy is paired with lighter backgrounds and sensitive copy with darker backgrounds. Original drafts of these ads included images of exhausted workers. The final products intentionally present a calming blue gradient with minimal white text. Workers of color are busy enough, so these ads encourage quick reflection with lasting impact. They’re simple, and that’s the point.