Industry
Non-Profit
Client
UX/UI + Content Strategy
Defending democracy
CHALLENGE
Making democracy feel urgent without feeling partisan
Protect Democracy fights authoritarianism and builds stronger democratic institutions. Their work spans Capitol Hill, state houses, and corporate boardrooms—but their message wasn't cutting through the noise. As authoritarian threats grew in the U.S., the organization needed to clarify their vision and story. The challenge: how do you make democracy feel urgent to people who take it for granted? How do you build a cross-ideological coalition when everything feels polarized?
APPROACH
Data storytelling meets modern patriotism
Through interviews and user testing, we discovered something powerful: Americans who value democracy respond when you compare our system to others worldwide. The idea of "preserving democracy for future generations" motivated action across political lines. But we needed more than messaging—we needed proof. The Authoritarian Threat Index became our central tool: a data visualization showing how authoritarian tactics creep into democracies, including our own. Making the threat visible and measurable made it feel real and urgent. The brand challenge was equally complex. We needed credibility with policy makers while appealing to everyday Americans. Editorial collages created a feeling of modern patriotism—multi-racial, cross-ideological, grounded in democratic principles rather than party politics.
OUTCOME
Expertise that mobilizes action across political divides
The Authoritarian Threat Index increased engaged visitors by 30%, proving that clear data visualization can cut through political noise. More importantly, we created a brand that positions Protect Democracy as the expert voice on democratic resilience. By connecting abstract threats to concrete data, we helped Americans understand what's at stake. The result: a credible, urgent brand that mobilizes people who might disagree on everything else but share a commitment to democratic institutions and the rule of law.