Design for Good: The Local Optimist

Mental health is a growing crisis that affects people worldwide. As more begin to open up about their own struggles, it becomes more apparent that resources are limited. Our world’s mental health problem will never be something that has an easy fix or cure, but every resource can help to make an impact.

In the past few years, many more online resources have been created, including help lines, both illness specific and general, and online foundations that offer various programs, making help and mental health education accessible.

In the past four years some resources and companies have become particularly creative, figuring out new and interactive ways to spread the word about our world’s mental health struggle by methods that Pieces with Purpose finds really inspiring! One example is Madhappy, a clothing brand which sells items such as sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats, t-shirts and more.

Madhappy was launched in 2017 with the goal of destigmatizing mental health using fun, casual clothes. Madhappy itself is not a mental health charity, but their mission is to help by “raising awareness and accessibility so that people can better identify what they’re going through, and seek help when needed” through their designs.

However, in 2019, Madhappy innovatively launched The Local Optimist, a free online mental health resource, a perfect way to reach teens and young adults to, “help make those conversations easier, hoping to break down walls and create a safe space for discussion around the many different ways we feel.” TLO partners with mental health professionals to create programming that includes research-backed toolkits, educational guides, personal essays, interviews and podcasts that decrease stigma. Both virtual and in-person events promote mental wellness, and partner with mental health nonprofits like The JED Foundation, an organization whose mission, “protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nations teens and young adults, giving them the skills and support they need to thrive today… and tomorrow.”

Through the years, The Local Optimist has added on many aspects to the organization including The Madhappy Journal. The journal provides three prompts a day that encourages the writer to reflect on their thoughts, behaviors and feelings as they answer them, a PEMS scale (Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual) to help the writer check-in with themselves, and motivational quotes like, “Treat Yourself Like Someone You Love.” The material in the journal covers over sixty-six days – the amount of time it takes one to develop a new habit. Additionally, The Local Optimist has also started a helpline for those who need support but who are not in immediate danger. In partnership with The Jed Foundation, Madhappy and TLO donate one journal to a school student in need. Madhappy also has a foundation, which donates money to organizations doing important work in the mental health space.

Madhappy uses their designs for good, as the majority of their products include “The Local Optimist” written somewhere, spreading the word of their online resources, as well as resources like the hotline number. Other pieces, like their Madhappy Outdoors collection, include motivational sayings like “inhale, exhale” and “peace, balance” on them. This majorly successful brand is always releasing new pieces, which encompass many different slogans, quotes, and imagery in an attempt to continue spreading their important message.

Of course Madhappy also releases some designs that are completely unrelated to The Local Optimist and their mental health initiative. They are all positive and brightly colored, following the trend we see Madhappy promoting, bringing joy and brightness to everyone's lives through their items.

Madhappy and The Local Optimist stand as an important example of how design is used to enhance everyday lives. It is crucial to recognise the impact design has on problems in our world and the importance of it; as Madhappy includes mentions of The Local Optimist and their hotline in a fun and fashionable way, and more people buy and wear their items, especially as they work towards an important issue, education about how important Mental Health is is being shared. Madhappy uses their design to better our world, spreading the word of The Local Optimist and their cause, one wear at a time.