Discord
Revealing the hidden work to keep teens safe
Articulating what ‘safety by design’ really means for users
Unlike addictive newsfeeds that profit from endless scrolling, Discord enables people to come together over their shared passions.
Especially for teens, who are naturally seeking connection during this formative stage of their lives, Discord provides a space where they can deepen their friendships and find belonging while talking about the things they love, from gaming and sports to art and music.
We partnered with Discord to go behind the scenes, revealing the extraordinary measures the company takes to protect teens—from hiring a licensed social worker as a policy manager focused on mental health to using AI to detect harmful content while preserving privacy that makes authentic conversation possible.
25+ Subject matter experts interviewed across policy, AI/ML, Trust & Safety, Design, and Leadership teams
12 In-depth articles produced across three strategic content pillars
Services
- Editorial & Distribution Strategy
- Flagship Content & Brand Storytelling
- Thought Leadership & Publishing
- Digital & Motion Design
Sectors
- Technology & Media
Audience-First Storytelling
Rather than traditional corporate communications, we focused on being useful to skeptical audiences first—clarifying misconceptions, assuaging parental concerns, and inviting deeper thinking about digital communication evolution.
We developed three core themes that our narratives would revolve around, which helped us shape our conversations with these sources. The themes helped us clarify our goals and create the most useful, compelling stories for our target audiences.
We developed stories using a “high-low” framework—taking complex safety topics and making them relatable, or finding deeper insights in everyday online experiences. This helped make Discord’s sophisticated approach accessible while revealing meaningful patterns in how teens actually use digital platforms.
Behind-the-Scenes Access
We conducted extensive interviews with Discord’s subject matter experts—from policy specialists to AI researchers to Trust & Safety leaders—to understand the complex, research-driven approach the company takes to teen safety and community building.
Story-Driven Visuals
Our design team translated these narratives using Discord's whimsical world of beloved characters like Wumpus and Nelly. Through extensive sketching and close collaboration with Discord's team, we created custom hero illustrations that made abstract safety concepts tangible.
For example, for the story “Why you can't ban your way to a safe platform,” we depicted a Discord character choosing between diverging paths with different consequences. For “Culture of Safety,” we showed Discord characters hanging out in a cozy living room, embodying the idea that everyone deserves a safe space to be themselves.
Each article received its own thoughtfully crafted hero image that made safety concepts accessible through characters teens already knew and loved.
