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COHR Lab
A Research Share Back
COHR Lab Expands Access to Research-Based Health Information with Innovative Digital Campaign
Eugene, OR – COHR Lab, part of the University of Oregon’s Prevention Science Institute, partnered with MC Digital Strategy to launch a digital campaign that improved public access to harm reduction and health behavior resources. Focused on reaching people who inject drugs, the initiative provided research-backed information in a format that was clear, engaging, and stigma-free.
https://www.cohrlab.com/
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Branding
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Graphic Design
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Illustration
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Website Development
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Media Strategy
PROJECT UNDERSTANDING
The Community Outreach and Harm Reduction (COHR) Lab had no digital presence, no messaging system, and no public pathway for sharing their work. They were doing high-impact research with and for people who use drugs, but none of it was accessible to the communities it was meant to support. They reached out to build everything from scratch. We developed a full communications ecosystem that now supports their outreach, research translation, and long-term visibility, with tools designed specifically for people navigating housing instability, health disparities, and institutional distrust.
Brand
COHR needed a brand that felt approachable, not clinical. Something that could speak to researchers and people who use drugs without losing either.
We created a visual system that was calm, clear, and rooted in trust. We kept the logo simple: just a strong type treatment in Oswald Medium to stay direct and readable. Then we built a visual system around it with an accessible color palette, clear type hierarchy, and design choices that worked across print, web, and even water bottles.
The tone? Straightforward, human, and never performative, just like the work.
Color Palette
We based COHR Lab’s color palette on familiar tones from University of Oregon and Oregon State branding, then brightened it to create a standalone presence that felt local, recognizable, and bold enough to support a street art–inspired visual style.
Typography
We used Oswald Medium and Avenir Light to balance structure with a handwritten, street-art feel clear enough for research, but casual enough to feel human.
Illustration & Graphic Design
We designed all illustrations to reflect the people COHR actually works with. No stock-style icons, no generic visuals. The graphics started with a street art influence: flat, bold, and bright.
After a round of community feedback, we softened the style to include more local elements like plants, nature references, and calmer colors. Everything was created to feel relevant, familiar, and respectful of the people at the center of the work.
Harm Reduction Center Asset for COHR Lab
People getting services at Harm Reduction Center
Harm Reduction Center Asset for COHR Lab
People getting services at Harm Reduction Center
Graphic Street art Asset for COHR Lab
Abstract Graphic Street art
Harm Reduction Center Asset for COHR Lab
People getting services at Harm Reduction Center
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Icons
Wix Website
COHR had no online home. We built one from the ground up. It is a space where their research could be seen, shared, and understood. The site is built in Wix with a flexible CMS, clean page structure, and clear language throughout. We used visual cues and custom illustrations to break down complex work, and designed every section to feel calm, approachable, and easy to update as their projects grow.
The Hydro Hub
The most unique part of this project was the Hydro Hub: a campaign that turned research into something you could use.
We designed three custom water bottles — each focused on a different story from the lab: one quantitative, one qualitative, and one shaped by community feedback.
Every design translated findings into clean, accessible visuals. And because the bottles were distributed to people often navigating housing insecurity, they weren’t just informative they were useful.
Media Strategy Insights
Every part of this campaign was built around the question: how do you reach people who don’t always have access to phones, housing, or health care but still deserve to understand the research that impacts them?
We started with what would actually work.
Water bottles were functional, reusable, durable, and easy to carry so we used them to share key findings from qualitative, quantitative, and community-driven studies.
The website became a permanent home for the work. A low-barrier, readable space for ongoing projects, share backs, and updates. It’s something the team can grow over time, and something community orgs can easily link to.
Illustrations gave the project a visual tone that felt local, grounded, and human. Not clip art. Not overly stylized. Just clean, inclusive, and responsive to what people asked to see.
From there, we built a full media campaign: a three-month rollout of flyers, zines, social content, and a week-by-week posting plan across platforms. All designed to build trust, create recognition, and give people a reason to engage whether they were part of the research or just passing by.
"I can’t believe somebody actually made something like this for us," one community member shared. "It’s really cool to see this kind of effort."
See more of how our strategy comes to life.
Branding Graphic Design Illustration Website Development Content Strategy
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