START WITH YOU
A mental health campaign made for students, by students.
Throughout my summer at GSW, I collaborated with my fellow Creative Interns and the Integrated Strategy Interns to develop campaigns focused on improving mental health on college campuses.
The strategy team discovered that mental illness among college students has risen 50% in the past decade, and although 95% of colleges offer on-campus mental health services, 41% of students still continue to perceive stigma around mental health. Based on the data, and our own experiences as current college students, it is clear that there is a mental health crisis on college campuses.
We designed our campaigns to be applicable to The Ohio State University, and scalable to other large universities across the country. While Ohio State and other schools at its level offer incredible mental health services for students, our team recognized that those services tend to be reactive, rather than proactive. Additionally, Harvard Business Review reported that in 2025, the leading use of generative AI was for therapy and companionship. This trend is concerning, as AI lacks the qualifications to provide such treatment and may reinforce the isolating patterns that contribute to ongoing mental health struggles among students.
YOU’RE NOT STUCK, YOU’RE STARTING
Our solution was to create campaigns that emphasize care before the crisis by getting students talking to each other about mental health. Our target demographic was college freshmen and sophomores, and our motivational edge was: “you’re not stuck, you’re starting.” Each of the 3 Creative Interns developed their own campaigns that are complimentary to clinical care, culturally aligned with Gen Z, and normalize mental health dialogue through visibility and peer voice.
My campaign, Start With You, recognizes that mental healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all—it’s not always about therapy or medication. Instead, it invites students to embrace and celebrate the simple, personal, and sometimes unexpected ways we find comfort and feel better each day.
Visuals and music produced by Daniel Kreill
Out of Pocket, In Control
The tagline Out of Pocket, In Control speaks the language of today’s college students. In Gen Z slang, “out of pocket” is used to refer to individuals or things that are bold, funny, and unpredictable.
The spark from this campaign started with a simple fact: we’re all pretty weird in our own ways, and that’s okay. No two people are exactly alike, the same way that there is no one-size-fits-all in mental healthcare. We all have our own ways of feeling better every day, and some may be more out of pocket than others.
To bring Start With You to life, I created a visual identity featuring a warm color palette, approachable characters, and a mixed-media aesthetic that resonates with the target audience. By connecting with Gen Z students both visually and through tailored messaging, the campaign is strategically positioned to spark conversation on college campuses and help dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health.
ACTIVATION
There are numerous activations that can bring Start With You to life on college campuses. The video above can be chopped, spliced, and repurposed for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels to get the message in front of students wherever they may be on their mobile devices.
I also created posters that could be placed in high-activity areas on campus, reminding students of the campaign’s message of embracing small actions that improve mental health every day.
Additionally, I designed small cards that read, “When I need to feel better, I like to: _______.” With Ohio State students in mind, the plan was to place these cards in the Ohio Union, inviting students to jot down their own go-to ways of feeling better, drop them in a bucket, and pick one from a peer. This simple exchange encourages laughter, connection, and the discovery of new, everyday strategies for supporting mental health. This simple activation can be easily adapted for digital platforms through a video series, interactive Instagram story stickers, or QR codes linking to a custom submission page.
I wanted Start With You to be a campaign students could carry with them wherever they go. For the pitch, I created button pins featuring the signature image, but the characters I designed are endlessly adaptable and can illustrate a variety of situations and messages. This versatility allows the campaign to live on t-shirts, tote bags, water bottles, and other merchandise. Seeing peers wearing Start With You gear can foster a sense of community and shared connection around the campaign.
At the end of my internship, the GSW interns delivered a 1.5-hour pitch that explored the mental health crisis on college campuses, outlined our strategic approach, and showcased three unique campaigns developed by the Creative Interns. It was an incredible opportunity to gain confidence presenting a campaign in an agency setting and a wonderful conclusion to my time at GSW.
