The Period Conversation

This project began with a conversation. Sadie Devane and I were chatting about how our periods affected their creativity. Yet we still didn’t feel comfortable being so open with all of our colleagues.

Periods just aren’t spoken about – especially at work. Instead, there is a culture of stigma and non-disclosure, resulting in a cycle of silence around menstruation that leaves people feeling unsupported. In fact, a massive 89% – the overwhelming majority – of people who menstruate have experienced anxiety or stress in the workplace because of their period. (Source: Bloody Good Employers)

The solution? More conversation is needed, to help people feel equipped and understood. So, using anonymous surveys, we started a virtual conversation to get people feeling more comfortable talking about periods – whether they have them or not – spotlighting the lived experience of people with periods to help everyone understand the ups and downs of the menstrual cycle.

The web design features animated, liquid marbling visuals inspired by the flowing nature of the conversations that we hope to inspire, and by the period flow itself. We also deliberately used non-gendered colours. We omitted pink and red, which are typically associated with periods. With women’s hormones changing each week of the month, the menstrual cycle is about more than just the period itself. We want to inspire conversations that go beyond the blood.

With Nice and Serious