Background

The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram was devised by the Ministry of Health aims to counsel and support adolescents (11-17 years) to lead healthier lives. Nutrition, disease, sexual behaviour and social interaction are in its ambit. We were called by UNFPA, a project sponsor to create an identity and a field guide.

Discovery

The key question: why identify adolescents as having special needs and as targets for intervention? Because the restless energy of those years, and the forming, but yet inadequate emotional maturity leads to high-risk behaviours. These can permanently undermine health, social and economic outcomes for young adults, who are vital components of the national demographic.

Strategy

That the target audience—health workers and officials—can be apathetic towards policy and strategy documents, which are often officious, stiff and rarely engaging. The RKSK handbook was well written: so if it could defeat this perceptual inertia, officials might be likelier keep it in view.

Idea

Giving RKSK a personality gets attention. It inserts the idea that adolescents have unique needs, and alerting them to why this program separately addresses them. This makes it distinct from existing, often overlapping health programs.

Handbook

Through the handbook, RKSK gets the persona of an adolescent. The book’s ‘dress’ recalls the restless experimentation that these young people bring to clothes and to their forming self-image.

Graphics were rewritten to present highly salient conclusions rather than simple pace the data. The content blocks in the book were mined for their potential to be highlighted, resulting in superior engagement and accessibility.

Identity

The logo clearly signals its target audience, and is designed to be highly visible, instantly recognisable and understood. Easily deployed with minimal means, it can be hand painted onto the walls of a RKSK facility.