Help Stop Hate

Span
2026

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Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton launch the project with a press conference
‘Help’ leans forward into action, ‘Stop’ leans back in urgency, and ‘Hate’ to sit still—unignorable
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The brand included an awareness campaign that reached across Illinois, from major cities like Chicago to the most rural communities.
We designed and developed the Help Stop Hate splash page to guide people to the appropriate place to report acts of hate.
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Visibility was intentional. Anti-hate need to show up where harm happens. This campaign was built to meet people where they are, embedding clear, supportive messages into streets and environments where hate happens.

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. Our team 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.

We 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. More than a design system, it’s civic infrastructure. This is public work, working.

The campaign activated 40 counties across Illinois, reaching over 90% of the state’s population and turning awareness into action at scale.

Design Direction, Strategy, Design, Naming Strategy
Nick Adam
Design, Animation
Kevin Moreland
Service Design, Program Management, User Research, Strategic Planning, Copy Writing
Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design
Media Strategy
Wes Meador
Media Placement, Public Relations
Flowers Communications Group
Translation
Metaphrasis