World AIDS Day 2012

Posted on November 29, 2012 by

Every year, on December 1, countries around the world commemorate World AIDS Day. The goals are to

  • Raise awareness.
  • Promote prevention and treatment.
  • Remember those who lost their lives to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Globally, more than 34 million people are living with HIV. In the United States, there are 1.1 million people living with HIV, and 1 in 5 don’t know they’re infected. Thanks to the availability and access to treatment and care, many individuals living with HIV are now living longer and healthier lives.

As we enter the fourth decade in the fight against HIV and AIDS, I believe we are a step closer than we were a year ago to winning that fight. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is 100% preventable. It is key that we support our government’s call to action, “Getting to zero” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas), to put an end to HIV/AIDS.

CDC estimates there are nearly 50,000 newly infected Americans, and young people between the ages of 13 and 24 represent about a quarter of these new HIV infections. By working together, knowing and sharing the accurate prevention messages, and encouraging everyone to know their HIV status (www.hivtest.cdc.gov), we can foresee an AIDS-free generation!

Promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention through CDC’s National Prevention Information Network (www.cdcnpin.org) is one of Danya International’s top priorities. For World AIDS Day, Danya strives to show its commitment and dedication by

  • Displaying several AIDS Memorial Quilts throughout the Atlanta office.
  • Building a Web page for partners to find HIV/AIDS resources for World AIDS Day.
  • Supporting a World AIDS Day Twitter Chat.
  • Finding new ways to convey prevention messages through social media.

Danya is proud to partner with CDC toward the goal of reducing HIV/AIDS in the near future and eventually eliminating it altogether.

It will take all of us to achieve this goal! This World AIDS Day, I challenge each of you to talk with your partner, spouse, significant other, relatives, friends, and neighbors about HIV and encourage them to get tested (www.hivtest.cdc.gov). It is recommended that everyone (especially those between the ages of 13 and 64) get tested at least once a year.

If you don’t know your HIV status, why not get tested? It’s often said that if you know better, you’ll do better—and YOU can improve your chances of living a long, healthy, and productive life. There are free testing sites (www.hivtest.cdc.gov) available near you. Alternatively, home HIV testing kits make it easy to test in the privacy of your very own home and can be found at many retail pharmacies.

Finally, stay involved and keep promoting HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The work must continue across the United States and around the world to achieve the goal of zero new HIV infections.

By Carlos N. Chapman

Posted in Atlanta, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Join Danya in Supporting the Great American Smokeout

Posted on November 15, 2012 by

On November 15, Danya will join many across the nation in the 2012 Great American Smokeout. This annual event, hosted every third Thursday in November, challenges tobacco users to quit smoking or plan a date to cease their nicotine addiction. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, this initiative is an effort to reach out to the more than 46 million smokers in this country to create a “quit plan,” and combat what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterizes as the “largest preventable cause of disease, disability, and premature death in the United States.”

Smoking Cessation Programs Go Digital

The need to create solutions that discourage the use of tobacco has become more urgent. According to the National Cancer Institute, “There is no safe form of tobacco.” The U.S. Surgeon General has also cited that “the way that tobacco is grown, mixed, and processed today has caused cigarettes to become more addictive than ever before—making it even tougher for smokers to quit.”

Along with traditional methods for helping smokers change their habits—such as support groups, quit lines, doctor interventions, and worksite wellness programs—there are a number of tobacco cessation resources available online. Research shows that smokers are most successful in ending their addiction when they have support, so smoking cessation programs are becoming more and more innovative, using social media and digital technology to promote good health. Here are just a few examples:

  • BeTobaccoFree.gov — Gathering information from across various departments within the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), BeTobaccoFree.gov is a one-stop shop that spans topics about tobacco, its health effects, quit tips, and prevention resources.
  • MyQuit Coach – Dare to Quit Smoking Mobile App — The Livestrong MyQuit Coach application helps nicotine users design a personalized plan to help them quit smoking. To keep these users motivated, inspirational photos, tips and progress charts are available to help smokers who want to be quitters stay on track.
  • Tips from Former Smokers — The CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers campaign uses the heartbreaking testimonials of tobacco users as a deterrent to tobacco use.
  • Smokefree.gov — The Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute developed a number of resources to combat smoking addictions, including an interactive site that offers a step-by-step quit smoking guide, an interactive U.S. map highlighting smoking information by state, and publications to download, print, and order.
  • SmokeFreeDonna — Donna Manders, a tobacco cessation specialist at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Smoke Free Life Program, uses Twitter to promote smoking cessation.

Danya Helps Smokers Quit

At Danya, we are currently working with CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to develop a digital media strategy, digital products, and an evaluation model in support of tobacco cessation activities. This project is in keeping with Danya’s long history to create tobacco solutions that improve public health. Our commitment to tobacco cessation has included:

Products

  • ASCENT — Local health departments, school systems, community organizations, and parents use this video series as a smoking cessation resource.

Websites

  • KnowTobacco.net—This site promotes researching, networking, collaborating, and sharing best practices in the fight against tobacco use.
  • TeenQuit—This site is dedicated to helping young adults stop smoking. It includes quit e-cards, youth advocacy, quit lines, and real stories about the challenge to quit smoking.

Programs and Initiatives *

* The websites for the programs and initiatives listed above are best accessed using Internet Explorer.

Stopping the Addiction

The CDC offers a number of resources for smokers interested in changing their lifestyle. This information includes a five-step process that encourages tobacco users to throw away their cigarettes, take note of why they want to quit smoking, make the commitment to quit, get help, and remember the goal to enjoy a healthy, happy new smoke-free life.

Through the dedication, creativity, and commitment to public health, strides can be made to reduce the more than 400,000 tobacco related deaths each year. If you know someone who is struggling with nicotine addiction, use the Great American Smokeout on November 15 to encourage him or her to use the CDC’s five steps and other resources to start on a new path.

By Tracye Poole

Posted in Atlanta | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on November 9, 2012 by

Image Credit: Novia Knight

November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and across the nation patients, advocates, and survivors are joining forces to host awareness events and activities with one goal in mind: stop the leading cause of cancer deaths. Teams are working to increase awareness about the risks and effects of lung cancer, reduce the stigma often associated with it, and make surviving this deadly disease the norm with vigils, marathons, fundraisers, and more.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, even greater than deaths from prostate and breast cancer combined. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 200,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year and that 150,000 people die from the disease every year. Unknown to many, lung cancer risks actually stretch beyond just smoking, from chest radiation therapy for other diseases like breast cancer to radon and asbestos exposure in the home or workplace.

Still, smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are the greatest factors contributing to the development of cancer in the lungs. CDC indicates that 80-90% of all lung cancer cases are related to smoking, but smokers who quit entirely can cut their risk of cancer in half within 10 years.

At Danya, we understand the risks smoking and tobacco use can carry, but we also understand how difficult it is to quit once the addiction has taken hold. In an effort to prevent tobacco use and reduce its deadly impact, we are working with CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring new technologies to public health professionals and the public at-large to both aid smokers in their pursuit to quit and to deter nonsmokers from ever forming the habit.

Cancer survivors, current and ex-users, advocates, and communicators alike can all contribute to increased awareness surrounding tobacco use and reduce everyone’s risk for lung cancer by getting involved in efforts like:

-          Global Health in Action. A Facebook-based anti-tobacco campaign for young adults, GHiA aims to highlight the dangers of tobacco with a video contest. Videos can be submitted through November 16, and the grand prize winner will receive an iPad 3 and the runner-up an iPod Touch!

-          Ideascale. Do you have innovative ideas or digital solutions for solving the threats of tobacco use and lung cancer in our country? Share them at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products Ideascale site, vote for and discuss others’ contributions, and these agencies may just bring your idea to life!

-          Great American Smokeout. Join the 37th Great American Smokeout on November 15 to encourage yourself or smokers you know to make a plan to quit smoking, even if just for the awareness day—take the important step toward a healthier, cancer- and tobacco-free life.

Regardless of how you get involved, be sure to find out how you can support your local lung cancer awareness efforts to end the deadliest of all cancers and make breathing easy the new norm this November.

By Katy Capers

Posted in Atlanta, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bringing a Healthy Ad to Life: A Danya Designer’s Process

Posted on October 9, 2012 by

Since April 2009, Danya has been providing graphics support to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Act Against AIDS (AAA) campaign. Act Against AIDS aims to combat complacency about the HIV crisis in the United States. The campaign features national public service announcements as well as targeted messages and outreach to populations most severely affected by HIV.

For the past 3 years, Danya’s creative services team has designed a series of ads for the AAA partnership with UPSCALE magazine. UPSCALE is a lifestyle magazine that provides news on entertainment, beauty, fashion, health, fitness, and travel. UPSCALE readers are mostly female professionals in a wide age range (74 percent are between 25–49 years old) with an average household income of nearly $70,000.

While some may think that print is dead, print advertising can greatly benefit campaigns because it’s tangible, credible, and can solidify a brand’s identity by effectively engaging and reaching niche audiences who are difficult to target online. For these reasons, Danya has worked with AAA to create 13 ads that have been published in UPSCALE since 2009.

Samples of Danya’s printed ads in UPSCALE

Let’s see how the last of these ads came into existence.

Step 1: Get to Know the Project.

The design process for these ads begins with a review of the creative brief or production request that’s provided by the client and project manager. My design work usually begins with reviewing a creative brief or request that’s sent by the project manager (PM). A creative brief includes details such as:

  • Background information on the client
  • Insight into the target audience
  • Business objectives
  • A call to action
  • Supporting data, if needed

Our aim is to consistently provide strong visuals that support the campaign’s message, imagery that captivates the audience, and a vision that inspires the reader to take action.

For the October 2012 issue of UPSCALE, the ad focused on “Fall Must-Haves.” We sought to visually communicate the idea that taking an HIV test should be a fall must-have for readers. It might seem like a stretch to show that concept visually, but by combining the expertise of our creative services team and the insight from the client and project manager, we were actually able to do just that!

Step 2: Do Your Research.

In preparation for the “Fall Must-Haves” ad, our graphics team spent hours on istockphoto.com  and thinkstockphotos.com searching for an image that had:

  • Visuals that complemented the look-and-feel of UPSCALE
  • A model that the readers could identify with in a setting that was believable
  • A color scheme that would complement the campaign’s red, black, and white palette and supported the fall theme
  • Copy space that could accommodate the required text and logo placement

Thinkstockphotos is a site that we often use to view and purchase stock photo images. It has an extensive collection of photos and graphics from nearly 50 stock photo vendors. Creating lightboxes (or folders that store your selected images) is a great way to track which images are being considered for use. Lightboxes can be organized according to client, publication date, or other criteria, and can be easily e-mailed for review by the client before purchasing.

Our research for the AAA project yielded these images that met those specifications:

There were two photos that really caught our eye and we felt would be the strongest. The first was of an African American woman deciding on what would be her must-have shoe for the fall and the second was of a selection of fall fashion staples: an animal print pump, a chocolate handbag, and gold jewelry.

Step 3: Get Creative!

The next step is to build the final product. During the times when the design ideas drip out like a leaky faucet, it’s good to go back to brainstorming. I’ll often flip through the pages of that particular publication or a competitor’s publication to formulate ideas. In addition, I’ll brainstorm with my colleagues, conduct a Google Image Search, view Pinterest boards for photo ideas, or glance at the pages of AIGA, the professional association for design inspiration. A great idea can come from anywhere!

Using Outlook to capture RSS feeds also provides me with ample resources to find design inspiration and stay on task. Some of my favorite design blogs that I have in my RSS feed are:

Now inspired, our team developed these drafts for client approval with the images we found:

The image of the woman trying on the shoes was chosen by the client because it had a modern feel, was eye-catching, provided ample space for the copy, and featured a key element—a red pump that gloriously tied in with the red of the HIV awareness movement.

After a few more rounds of edits by the client and project manager, the final design printed in UPSCALE looked like this:

Tips to Designing Success

Depending on your client, workload, and resources, your design process may need many more than these three simple steps. But regardless of the work you’re facing—whether it’s a print or web design—here are six great tips from Abnormal Marketing to consider before jumping into the designing process:

  1. Focus in on the message.
  2. Sketch your layout. Think about the kind of layout that will appeal to your intended audience.
  3. Create image appeal by using imagery that will quickly catch the eye.
  4. Stick with one color scheme.
  5. Offer short, simple text.
  6. Leave enough of an impression on the viewer so that they’ll want to learn more information on the campaign.

Happy designing!

By Novia Knight

Posted in Atlanta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Desperately Seeking Compliance: Section 508 and Website Design

Posted on October 4, 2012 by

Web design is often like car shopping: Splashy colors and flashy bells and whistles tend to draw the most initial attention. What happens, however, when your audience can’t see the splash and flash or hear the bells and whistles?

Such is the conundrum faced by designers who develop websites for the federal government. Those tricks of the trade that we so often take for granted—introductory movies, animations, moving graphics, and so forth—are usually not an option for federal agency-related sites as they are currently incompatible with the federal government’s Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

This amendment responds to the federal government’s growing preference for electronically disseminating information to their constituents as a means of providing instantaneous access to information and reducing the environmental and financial impacts of massive print runs. Section 508 ensures, among other things, that all federally run or affiliated electronic outlets—and associated materials—can be understood in their entirety by all members of the public, including those covered specifically by the Rehabilitation Act.

What does this mean from a web design perspective? First, it means no Flash media. As of the writing of this post, Adobe still has not figured out a solution to make its Flash software completely Section 508-compliant. The company continues to work on this and has made several inroads; however, Adobe has still not achieved 100 percent compliance for Flash.

Additionally, adhering to Section 508 compliance means that should web developers still decide to add a bit of pizzazz to their sites, they must do so using programming and coding elements that won’t impede site layout when the plug-ins that show these elements are turned off. For example, if developers choose to use JavaScript to enable animation on a site, the site must still be fully functional if a viewer has disabled their web browser’s Java capabilities.

Danya staff recently faced such a challenge with a website redesign for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of University Partnerships (OUP). The challenge: Redesign the site so that it resembles HUD’s template but retains a level of individuality, and make the site appear attractive and functional while staying within the boundaries of Section 508.

The final result was this:

Click on the above image to visit the OUP home page and you will see many visually appealing but 508-compliant elements, including:

  • Animated elements that help to increase the visual quality of the site, such as the DDRG Spotlight images and text that are timed to reload automatically (click your browser’s “Refresh” button for an example).
  • Information tabs that are programmed to change when activated by the user’s cursor.
  • Tagged graphic elements with alternative text that can be detected by screen readers.
  • Java-encoded elements that have static links in other sections of the website to ensure that those visitors who have disabled their Java plug-ins can still access all portions of the site.

These are, of course, only a few of the challenges that developers face when working on online projects for the federal government. All Portable Document Format (PDF) files, for example, must be compatible with screen readers as well. Fortunately, Adobe has been successful in making Acrobat, the software that creates PDFs, 508-compliant. They have also built in 508-compliant functions, such as the ability to embed alternative text tags for images and graphics, in layout programs such as InDesign. Microsoft’s Office Suite also provides the ability to create 508-compliant documents that will allow screen readers to properly follow text flow.

As evidenced in the OUP site redesign, Section 508 compliance is a challenge but not an insurmountable one. With a little extra forethought and pre-planning, web developers can provide their federal government clients—and the consumers seeking government information—with websites that will meet their aesthetic desires while honoring the requirements of Section 508.

By Karen White

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Facebook and iOS 6

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

Everyone’s talking about it: the new iPhone 5. Love it or hate it, it’s here. With the new phone comes the updated operating system, the iOS 6. Anyone with a previous version of the iPhone, as well as the iPad and iPod Touch, is now able to download the upgraded system. Some of its new features include an overhaul of the Maps, an improved Siri, and better Facebook integration.

Until now, Apple has been so-so with its integration of Facebook in its features. The camera, for example, appeared to have every sharing option imaginable…except the option to share directly onto Facebook. Although Twitter was integrated into iOS 5 in 2011, Facebook was left out. With the newest system upgrade, however, the whole sharing interface has changed. It’s more modern-looking and finally includes a Facebook sharing option!

And with 96 million active Facebook users on the iPhone as of November 2011, there are now countless people accessing and sharing content on Facebook via mobile. For communicators, the return on the iPhone update has a significant value to engage more patients and consumers remotely considering:

  • The general population likes photos twice as often as text and share videos 12 times more than text
  • 8.2 hours are spent online on smartphones each week, according to a Google, Inc. and Ipsos study
  • Endless opportunities to tell comprehensive, emotion-evoking stories with features like Timeline, photos and videos, notes, and discussion forums

With the newest iOS 6 Facebook integration, Facebook and its page users now have the opportunity to not only engage their users more, but also track new activity from the iPhone apps. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is now fully aboard the mobile train. At this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Conference, Zuckerberg indicated mobile, versus desktop, is where Facebook will really make money. With so many new opportunities to engage patients and consumers via Facebook, will health communicators make the upgrade, too?

By Melissa Jackson

Posted in Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

September is SAMHSA’s Recovery Month – Join the Voices for Recovery: It’s Worth It

Posted on September 28, 2012 by

Hop online or turn on a cable news show and there’s a good chance you will see a breathless, sensational headline about a celebrity’s wild drunken antics or drug abuse drama. But for the millions of people in recovery from substance abuse and addiction, the headlines aren’t entertaining. They have an intimate understanding of the pain addiction causes and the havoc it wreaks on lives. They have an intimate understanding of how hard it can be to stop.

For the past 23 years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has set September aside as Recovery Month in celebration of the millions of Americans in recovery. This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: It’s Worth It.”

It’s hard to find a person who hasn’t been touched by substance abuse: Danya has worked on a variety of projects related to substance abuse; our founder and CEO, Dr. Jeff Hoffman, is trained as a clinical psychologist and researcher with specialized experience in addiction treatment, tobacco control, HIV prevention, and family relationships; and even I can attribute my very existence to substance abuse.

To be exact, I can attribute it to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where my grandparents met. But that wasn’t the meeting that led them to recovery; it took them each several tries before it stuck.

My grandparents embodied the message that SAMHSA is promoting with their recovery month observance: while the road to recovery may be difficult, “the benefits of preventing and overcoming mental and/or substance use disorders are significant and valuable to individuals, families, and communities.” In other words, getting better is hard, but it is worth it.

By the time I came into the world, my grandmother was clean and sober, and my grandfather had long since passed away (due to factors other than alcohol abuse). I never even knew about her issues with addiction until I was a teenager. All I knew was my grandmother had so much empathy for anyone suffering. Now I realize that empathy was hard won. It came from the years she spent suffering.

My grandmother was one of many. According to recent data released by SAMHSA, in 2010, 2.6 million people (aged 12 or older) who needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem received treatment at a specialty facility in the past year. Just imagine how many people there were – that there are – who need treatment but haven’t sought it yet? How can we best reach these people?

Providing vital public health messages to the people we need to reach has been a driving force for Danya International as a company since its inception in 1996. It’s why we have social impact goals that include promoting mental health education. It’s why, as a company, we have gone for and worked on government contracts that reach a variety of types of people and educate about a variety of types of sensitive health issues, including HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and, yes, substance abuse. And it’s why we continually educate ourselves about and immerse ourselves in the latest technologies so we can help our clients provide the highest level of service possible to those who need it.

People struggling with substance abuse problems need to hear that there is a way forward. Maybe those are the very people Recovery Month is for. Celebrate those who are in recovery, but it is also important to have empathy for and encourage those who are still working toward it – even the people we see the headlines about online and on the cable news shows. It’s worth it.

To learn more about Recovery Month, visit http://www.recoverymonth.gov/.

By Stacy Fentress

Posted in Atlanta, Jeff Hoffman | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment