While federal support for emergency services has been shrinking, Illinois is one of only three states with an agency focused on responding to hate incidents. To build public trust, Chicago designer Nick Adam and his firm Span teamed up with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design to create a new identity for the program, which helps people and communities affected by hate.

The program’s original name, Illinois v. Hate, sounded legalistic and made the state seem like the main actor rather than the public. Adam reframed it as Help Stop Hate—a title that feels supportive and urgent without being aggressive. The words highlight care (“Help”), urgency (“Stop”), and honesty (“Hate”).

The design uses familiar features of civic signs—strong colors, diagonals, and modular layouts—so that people instinctively recognize it as something reliable in a moment of need.

ARTICLE: Words Are Not Just Words