Creating America’s first mental health advocacy brand

For far too long, America’s government and healthcare system have struggled to adequately attend to America’s most basic mental health needs. In the Spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic fueled unprecedented levels of stress and suffering, Civitas Public Affairs began  building a new organization that could fight for the mental health policy Americans had long deserved, and now even more urgently needed. 

The organization would need a brand, so Civitas engaged Mighty Good to create one that would both honor the passion of the organization’s founders and engage a wide audience of potential supporters.

The dual concepts of inseparable

The name Mighty Good generated, Inseparable, embodies two concepts that would become fundamental to the brand’s messaging: 1. The widely shared belief that we support others who are struggling with their mental health, and therefore this is an issue on which we cannot be separated into political camps; and 2. The fact that mental health and physical health are intertwined, and therefore should stop being treated unequally. 

“We” not “me”

Despite widespread prevalence, mental health issues still remain stigmatized for many. To create a campaign that would make room for everyone impacted by mental health to feel safe championing the issue, Mighty Good grounded the brand in the concept of taking action to take care of others, an idea sparked by audience research. Inseparable would not be a “me” brand, but a “we” brand. The call to arms for the brand became: “We need to take better care of each other, and we need to do it right now: by demanding mental health policy that better cares for us all.”

Strength in numbers

Defined by a series of strong, stylized portraits and a bold color palette, Mighty Good’s goal in developing the visual identity was to represent a force of individuals advocating for each other.

A movement

Inseparable launched in May, 2020, and received media coverage across top-tier news platforms (Today Show, MSNBC, USA Today). In May of 2021, Inseparable was named “Winner, Best Campaign Response to COVID-19” by Campaigns & Elections’ Reed Awards. And now, three years since launching, Inseparable is a force, with significant state-level policy victories from Georgia to Washington, new youth-focused initiatives, and supporters from across states, ages, and the political spectrum.  

“For so long, the mental health community has struggled to find the language we need to take us where we want to go. With Inseparable, we got to the core of it. Simply. Effectively. Powerfully. It has made all the difference. It works beautifully for us every day.”

-- Bill Smith, Founder, Inseparable

‍