Illinois Humanities is one of the state’s most vital cultural institutions—an engine for grants, public programs, and educational work that sparks dialogue, reflection, and civic participation. With a new strategic plan, the organization saw an opportunity to bring Span and Nick Adam’s team in to align the visual identity, with its role as a statewide activator of culture, equity, and dialogue.

The humanities are lived, practiced, and embodied—emerging through storytelling, archives, and art in community halls, cultural institutions, public spaces, and around kitchen tables. To capture this richness, the brand identity needed to make space for the humanities themselves—open, plural, and deeply human. That idea drove our approach of the rebrand.

At the heart of the new brand identity is a custom-drawn ‘IH’ monogram. In a rebus-like gesture, the ‘I’ takes the softened shape of Illinois, paired with a well-rounded ‘H.’ This adaptable ‘H’ is generous—in both scale and function. Designed as a container for photography it holds stories, actions, and lives. Like the humanities themselves, the ‘H’ becomes a platform: open, inclusive, and active. It invites people in, spotlights communities, and makes clear that the humanities are define by the people who live them.

Span created a custom GIS-based map to visualize Illinois in all its richness—interlacing waterways, tree canopies, and county lines into a cohesive, living landscape. This design language extends across the brand, surfacing in touchpoints that highlight grants awarded, communities served, and events held statewide. Along with a regionally-inspired color palette, it becomes a textured reminder of place—rooted, real, and resonant.

This brand carries Illinois Humanities’ name and its purpose. It visually expresses a commitment to centering people’s lived experiences, honoring histories and cultures. It protects space for bold ideas, dialogue, and reflection. It honors relationships—partner-centered, intentional, built to strengthen social fabric. Through this system, the brand becomes a public tool to activate belonging. The new identity doesn’t simply represent the humanities—it enacts them.