Take Heart was a collaborative campaign at Laguna College of Art and Design made to lift people's spirits in response to the 2016 Election Day on November 6.  To take heart is to be courageous or confident—the name acts as both a call to action and reassurance for the community that we can move on and stay strong. The 2016 election cycle brought out a lot of negativity and divisiveness. Take Heart was created to combat the hate, fear, and violence with love and support. 

Pinback buttons are commonly known for its use in advertising during election season and it communicates one's party alignment. With that in mind, I collaborated with other designers to create a set of heart buttons to give out to students so that they can wear it around campus and communicate that the student body is aligned for love and against hate. The buttons provided a sense of togetherness in a quiet, yet direct sense.

To reach a wider audience, we started an Instagram campaign that allowed people to create their own heart graphics to join the community and show their support from different parts of the country. The heart is an iconic symbol of love and can be easily drawn by anyone. People drew their own hearts and shared it with #takeheart. 

The inauguration on January 20th caused similar negativity. To reiterate our message, I collaborated with more designers to paint a mural which reads "strength lies in differences."

See more of Take Heart.