What it had to solve
Create a robust, modern identity and website for an anti-racism charity that must appeal to 'everyone from age eight to 80' — village hall to festival main stage
How it works
The strike-out device extends from logo to editorial: hate words are obscured but still legible ('we never give hate words their power'). Sunshine yellow was retained for grassroots continuity, with Work Sans and League Gothic chosen for their Google compatibility so supporters can build on-brand designs themselves.
What it did
The identity rolled out across print and digital touchpoints and the redesigned website launched; no reach figures were reported.
Background
In April 2017, digital consultancy Blue State Digital — veterans of Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns and Labour's 2015 effort — unveiled a new visual identity and website for Hope not Hate, the UK anti-racism charity founded in 2004 to combat extremism through grassroots organising.
The core device is the 'bar of hope': in the logo, a bar physically blocks out the word 'hate'. The same strike-out governs the brand's editorial voice — headlines across its communications put bars through 'hate words' such as racism, sexism and homophobia, obscuring them 'enough so that they can still be understood'.
The system was deliberately open: sunshine yellow carried over for its hopeful, grassroots connection, Work Sans and League Gothic — inspired by 19th-century newspaper typesetting — were chosen partly because they are Google-compatible, and creative director Chomoi Picho-Owiny described a brand supporters could 'own': use the hashtag, recreate the logo, modify it for local campaigns.
Why it lands
Right-wing populism's rise required the charity to look as serious as the moment it was fighting
The strike-out device enacts the mission visually — hate literally blocked, not erased
An open, ownable system multiplies a small charity's design capacity through its grassroots network
Retaining sunshine yellow kept continuity with the community that built the brand
What you can take
A brand owned by its activists beats a brand protected from them: free Google fonts and a modifiable logo turn supporters into the design department.
Since then
The identity rolled out across Hope not Hate's print and digital touchpoints, and the redesigned website launched with the April 2017 reveal.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The sources
- Hope not Hate rebrands to 'strike out' discrimination designweek.co.uk