Calm

Published: November 2011

ISBN: 978-0-9556547-5-6

Project type: words, books, design

Print run: 1,000

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has been leading the fight against male suicide on Merseyside and beyond since 2001. For its ten year anniversary CALM wanted to tell its story, and the leaps and bounds it had made in changing the perception of male suicide and raising awareness of the male suicide epidemic.

Through the CALMzone space on Merseyside and a dedicated helpline, CALM has successfully helped lower the suicide rate in the region year-on-year, with the Merseyside average far below that of the North West of England and Wales.

CALM’s success comes through a combination of normalising male depression and by being ever-present, reassuring men that it is always there if they need someone to talk to. By working with CALM on the book The CALM Campaign on Merseyside –Ten Years Younger, we presented an opportunity for CALM to get its mission and its service before more eyes, utilising indirect retailers to stock the book, as well as serving as a guide book of sorts for anyone who may require it.

The book itself told the story of the project, from its inception in 1997, through its formation and its successes. We worked closely with Simon Howes, CALM’s Merseyside CALMzone development co-ordinator, to succinctly and carefully present the charity in a way that was open and judgment free – the exact reason it was founded.