Safer Politics

Safer Politics is a UK initiative developed in partnership with DigiPol, the Local Government Association (LGA), and the Jo Cox Foundation. The platform was created to educate local politicians and their teams on how to stay safe online — offering practical guidance, strategies, and training modules to address increasing levels of abuse and intimidation in public life.

Our task was to translate this urgent and sensitive mission into a digital experience that felt authoritative, approachable, and actionable. The primary focus was on providing clear, well-structured learning resources that could easily slot into the schedules of busy councillors and public servants.

A Design-Led Approach for a Critical Audience

This project wasn’t driven by complex technology — it was driven by audience needs and strategic design. We needed to reach a time-poor audience with vital information, without overwhelming them. This meant bold, highly accessible design, crystal-clear navigation, and content layouts optimised for quick scanning and practical use.

The visual identity avoids party-political connotations and instead focuses on neutrality and clarity. We used strong typography, vibrant but balanced colour schemes, and high-contrast layouts to make the content inviting and digestible — especially important for users with a range of accessibility needs.

Toolkits and Training at the Core

The site’s heart is a collection of structured toolkits and training modules covering topics such as digital hygiene, social media boundaries, handling abuse, and staff safety. These resources are designed to be directly actionable — downloadable guides, step-by-step checklists, and bite-sized video content.

Working closely with stakeholders from DigiPol, the LGA, and the Jo Cox Foundation, we helped shape both the structure and tone of the content. Every decision was guided by a simple question: how do we help local politicians and their teams stay safe without creating additional burdens?

Fast, Flexible, and Accessible

The technology stack is lightweight and optimised for speed and reliability. We chose Statamic as the CMS — one of our favourites — for its ease of use and flexibility. It allowed content editors to manage toolkits, modules, and updates with minimal technical knowledge, reducing friction and ensuring the platform could evolve over time. We implemented a CMS-backed system that allows stakeholders to update modules, add new toolkits, and refresh content as guidance evolves. The learning modules themselves were built using iSpring, a powerful LMS tool that enabled the creation of structured, interactive training experiences integrated directly into the platform.

All interactions were designed to meet WCAG accessibility standards, ensuring the platform is inclusive by default. It works seamlessly across devices, from council office desktops to mobile phones used between meetings.