the challenge
With military suicides on the rise, the Wingman Project was a program developed to reduce the number of suicides within the U.S. Air National Guard. The priority was educating military service members, colleagues, family members, and other loved ones on how to intervene and take action in a situation where someone may be suicidal.
the solution
The Air National Guard has bases located in each of the 50 states as well as locations such as Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Antarctica with service members that are very passionate and proud of their base locations and the heritage surrounding them. The Wingman Project launched with customized toolkits distributed to each base, a general website with uniquely branded webpages for each location. The kits consisted of posters, business cards, and key fobs, with imagery, content, and messaging that was directly related to each specific location. The program raised awareness and gave the service members a personal attachment to the program.
My role was to manage the client relationship, conduct primary research, develop messaging concepts, and design production of the different deliverables associated with each base location. The scale of the program, along with tight timelines, required me to hire and supervise an additional designer to ensure materials were delivered according to the deadlines.
the results
Promotional materials were developed and delivered for 59 different bases and locations. The Wingman philosophy of taking personal responsibility for those around you was a concept that resonated with service members. The Ask, Care, Escort messaging was actionable and led to direct interventions of potential suicides and ultimately saved lives. The overall success of the Wingman Project influenced the launch of similar suicide prevention programs for the Army (Battle Buddy Project) and Navy (Shipmate Project).
