Normality. Period.

D&AD New Blood Awards: McKinsey Design & The Case For Her

A Case For Her was a brief set by Mckinsey Design to try and approach the stigma or taboo of menstruation. My entry was a very simple product based on a well-known and popular weekly planner. The product was aimed at non-menstruators, so that they could engage with the sights, sounds and frequency of having a period, and so normalise it as a part of everyday life.

The book was handmade by me using a Japanese binding method where the spine with a blood stain is visible. The covers rustle like the sound of a sanitary pad being opened, and there are Rorschach-Test-inspired ink blots frequently through out the pages to highlight the frequency of menstruation.

The ink blots were to a link to a quote from Damien Searls, author of the first biography of Rorschach, who said “It’s not what you see, it’s how you see”. I then attributed this statement to how we view menstruation and periods and thought there really is only one thing we should see when looking at menstruation:

Normality. Period.