LET’S TALK ABOUT PERIODS...
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"Red Talk" is the name for a project that consists of two conversational card games. The aim of the project is to encourage discussion about menstruation and expand the narrative around menstrual cycles, specifically for those who experience periods. The project has three distinct objectives:
- To assist menstruating individuals in comprehending their menstrual cycle relative to that of others, which can aid in developing their communication abilities with others.
- To support menstruating individuals in understanding and utilising their menstrual cycle as a means of managing their productivity, emotions, and social interactions.
- To reinforce the idea that the menstrual cycle significantly impacts individuals' physical and mental well-being and that its effects extend beyond the times when menstruation and bleeding occurs.
In turn with these objectives, I intend to create a wider community of people who are passionate about changing the conversation around periods. By bringing people together around this important topic, we believe that we can create a movement that will help to normalise menstruation and promote greater understanding and acceptance for all those who experience it.
DESIGN MECHANICS...
In the Bodyform advert ‘Blood Normal’, they touched upon softly their harmful narrative of using the colour blue in their adverts as in the past they attempted to appease to the male gaze in trying to take away the ‘grossness’ of blood within their adverts. It was vital that I had to use the colour red within my branding, to show authentic connections between blood and menstruating. Education in my project is a key aspect in helping people take control of their cycle, and the use of simple icon imagery in my project aids the type in bringing a new form of visability. It was also important to shy away from the concealment and censorship of menstruation, which is a direct result of patriarchal publishing, which I dismantled in my critical dissertation during my final year of study at Central Saint Martins.