Hackney Council recognises the necessity of systemic, structural, and behavioural changes to fully integrate anti-racism into all its operations. Over the last five years, the council has begun working to tackle racial inequality on individual, community, systemic, and societal levels. This commitment was formalised in July 2020 when Hackney Council passed a motion to become an anti-racist organisation.
For these anti-racism efforts to be truly effective and sustainable, all members of the organisation must share a common understanding of both racism and anti-racism. This shared understanding is vital to ensure that appropriate actions are taken and that ingrained patterns of bias and discrimination are avoided.
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Hackney Design Studio was briefed to develop a unified sub-brand for the Council's anti-racism initiatives. The goal was to enhance engagement and ensure the communications and subsequent initiatives resonated with staff throughout the entire organisation.
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Utilising insight collected from staff network groups, the team explored the use of a single unifying image or symbol.
Throughout history, symbols have profoundly influenced societies, shaping identities and movements. In the context of slavery and racism, they have served as tools for both oppression and resistance. Symbols are powerful because they evoke strong emotions, foster unity around shared causes or identities, and simplify complex issues into visual forms, making them effective for communication and mobilisation.
Recognising this power, the team developed the joining hands symbol as the central graphic for conference materials. This rationale also informed the creation of a bespoke colour set and culturally relevant patterns in our Review, Rename, Reclaim project.
