Help Stop Hate Brand Identity and Campaign
- Client
- Illinois Department of Human Rights
Illinois Commission on Discrimination & Hate Crimes
Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design
- Community
- Civic
- Government
- Civic
- Government
- Design
- Academic
- Wellness
- Healthcare
- Credits
-
Nick Adam
Concept, Design Direction, Strategy, Design, Naming StrategyKevin Moreland
Design, AnimationInstitute for Healthcare Delivery Design
Service Design, Program Management, User Research, Strategic Planning, Copy WritingWes Meador
Media StrategyFlowers Communications Group
Media Placement, Public RelationsMetaphrasis
Translation
- Also
Transforming words into actions.
The State of Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes (CDHC) launched a statewide service to support people targeted by hate. It had a phone number. What it lacked was the public’s awareness and trust. Nick Adam’s team at Span was brought in to change that.
Working alongside UIC’s Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD), we renamed, rebranded, and reintroduced the service to the public. The result was Help Stop Hate—a trauma-informed, multilingual, statewide service and campaign that reframed reporting not as retaliation, but as care in action.
Initially piloted as Illinois v. Hate, the helpline's name implied conflict and positioned the state as the protagonist. Moving away from tension to solidarity, the renamed service Help Stop Hate is a three-word promise. Help centers care. Stop signals urgency. Hate names the problem—without euphemism.
Span designed a visual system rooted in action. ‘Help’ leans forward. ‘Stop’ pulls back. ‘Hate’ stands still—unignorable. The visual language draws on civic forms: rigid diagonals, grounded color, modular composition. Designed to function everywhere from Chicago CTA ads to community newspapers and rural county billboards.
To reach survivors—not just residents—we kept the value proposition simple and kind. “Report hate, get support” is about access and letting people know: they are not alone. The Not in Our State campaign launched in the seven most spoken languages in Illinois: English, Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Hindi, Tagalog, and Mandarin.
The response was immediate:
In a single week, the helpline logged 5x more reports of hate than in the previous six months combined. A 12,000% increase in reports, week over week. This is more than a design system—it’s civic infrastructure. This is public work, working.
Three cuts of Grilli Type’s GT Planar were used, allowing ‘Help’ to lean forward into action, ‘Stop’ to lean back in urgency, and ‘Hate’ to sit still—unignorable.
The name and visual brand launched at a press conference led by Governor JB Pritzker—joined by the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and leaders from across the state.
We designed and developed the Help Stop Hate splash page to guide people to the appropriate place to report acts of hate.
Designed for multi-channel impact, the brand identity and campaign not only engaged diverse audiences, they outperformed industry benchmarks.
The campaign reached across Illinois, from major cities like Chicago to the most rural communities.
Span designed the The Not in Our State campaign in the seven most spoken languages in Illinois: English, Spanish, Arabic, Polish, Hindi, Tagalog, and Mandarin.
Span extended the campaign by writing radio scripts and directed popular local DJs—who voiced the 15- and 30-second spots in English, Spanish, and Polish—to ensure the message resonated across communities.
Help Stop Hate was designed as a public platform with immediate impact—by, with, and for the communities most affected by hate.
We worked directly with the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, a fully-appointed body of 21 leaders across legal advocacy, education, LGBTQ+, disability rights, refugee support, law enforcement, and faith-based organizing. These include leaders from Access Living, the Anti‑Defamation League, Brave Space Alliance, Catholic Charities, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Hazel Crest Police Department, the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, Illinois State Police, RefugeeOne, Polarization & Extremism Research and Innovation Lab, and others.
Their lived expertise shaped every layer of the campaign. From tone and translation to where and how it showed up. That collaboration helped build a platform that didn’t just speak out against hate—but gave people tools to report it and respond to it.
