Echo: Amplifying Voices
Senior Thesis | Environmental Branding
August 2025 - December 2025
For my senior thesis in the Visual Communication Program, I created Echo, a campaign to raise awareness and address the stigma surrounding trauma and PTSD among young adults.
Echo pops up into third spaces based on monitoring current trends of where Gen-Z is most social. For this timeline, I focused on the popular coffee shop: Fox in the Snow, based in Columbus, Ohio.
The Problem:
Trauma Support is Unapproachable due to barriers such as insurance, stigma, and cognitive overload. Only half of young adults have access to mental health treatment.
The approach:
Community-focused awareness by bringing knowledge and awareness to familiar spaces. Helping reduce stigma and make support more approachable and community-focused.
The brand:
Echo: Amplifying Voices branding focuses on a calm and grounding environment. With Trauma-Informed Design Principles applied, it strays from harsh colors to emphasize movement and flow.
Led Wave Ceiling Drape, easily removable with use of ceiling hooks
Ceiling wave installation
The ceiling is the first thing customers see when they walk into the space—using materials that represent Echo’s brand and encourage them to look up and reflect.
Standard 4” x 9” Rack Card, 16oz cup, and Heavy Duty White Paper Bags
branded materials
The cup and bag offer personal moments; bags for support messages, cups for daily focus and motivation.
The rack card gives a brief overview of Echo's mission, minimizing information to prevent overload and encourage conversation.
White Caster Wall ideally mounted on wheels for easy transportation
interactive wall of echos
The ‘Wall of Echos’ is an interactive caster wall allowing guests to reflect on the prompt and use marks to leave their story. As the wall fills up, it creates a mural of people’s stories through visuals.
Quiz produced on Clear Heavy Duty Fitted Vinyl Tablecloth
‘what’s my Echotype’ quiz
The ‘echo’ type is a touchpoint that allows guests to sit down and take a flow quiz to determine their echotype and how they can use it to support those with PTSD/Trauma.
‘Echo’types (archetypes) are inspired by ‘Health Promotion in Health Care –Vital Theories and Research’ types of social support.
flat mockups of touchpoint features
research recap
Utilizing both primary and secondary methods before creeating a design approach, I focused on understanding:
the clinical and therapeutic side of trauma and treatment
pain points of survivors of trauma and PTSD
design systems that currently exist, and the gaps
the role of social support in recovery
My findings showed that trauma is heavily stigmatized in communities and online. Being surrounded by misconceptions makes it harder for people to seek help.
Integrating trauma awareness into daily life can hopefully improve approachability and increase social support.
A comment from the survey I distributed, which helped me redirect my focus on what trauma support can look like.
Full documentation (very long)!