The design of the mental health flyer I created was guided by ethical communication principles that include respect for autonomy, equity, and transparency. Respect for autonomy was incorporated by offering information that will allow an individual to understand mental health and well-being and why it is important to take care of not only your physical health but mental health as well. The flyer encourages individuals to get support when needed and reminds them that their feelings are valid and that they are heard, insinuating that however they may choose to take care of their mental health works. Transparency was addressed by presenting information in a way that does not sugarcoat mental health by avoiding medical jargon and complicated medical terminology. My goal was to stay away from words like “psychological”. Instead of using the definition of mental health,”Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community”, the flyer I created defines mental health using simple statements such as how people “think, feel, handle stress, connect with others, and make decisions.” This makes the information easier for a wide audience to understand.

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Equity was something I went back and forth with when it came to my design. This one stood out the most to me because the colors give off calm and nurturing vibes. My intentions with this flyer was for it to be welcoming and not have stigmatizing tone when talking about mental health. Mental health is very stigmatized in marginalized communities as such as African American communities. Gen Z has done a great job with waking up mental health and the importance behind it. The flyer emphasizes how it is normal to get help and how people are not alone.

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A few health literacy strategies were used as well. The flyer does use a lot of plain language and not long sentences because everyone does not have strong health literacy, so the main goal for this was to make sure readers who do have different literacy levels are able to understand. I also organized the information with different headings and bullet points to ensure the information had good flow. This can help if a reader may just want to quickly scan the flyer. 

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Lastly, the information I incorporated in my flyer does support teach-back readiness. This is because in each section, I have information that a reader can easily ask their provider about. The concepts are easy to break down and present to their doctor, therapist, counselor, etc. Overall, I strongly believe the design I created prioritizes clarity, accessibility, and supportive messaging to promote mental health awareness.