Tim Hindes was helping a friend in Greenfield move when he heard sirens.
After arriving home Saturday morning and learning of the Tree of Life massacre, he sat down with his laptop and created something to be shared around the world.
Mr. Hindes, 40, designed the “Stronger Than Hate” image that has been, seemingly, everywhere. Against a black background, a reflection of the old U.S. Steel logo — now popularized by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ helmets — shows two hypocycloid shapes in blue and orange/red.
Replacing the traditional yellow shape is a Star of David. “Stronger Than Hate” — the official motto of the Shoah Foundation — is printed in stark white letters.
“Some people doodle on a sketch pad; I just started playing around with shapes on a computer,” he said. “In all honesty, it’s not that complex of a symbol but it’s that simplicity that sort of resonated.”
Mr. Hindes lives in South Park Township but grew up, by sad coincidence, not far from the current Baldwin Borough residence of Robert Bowers. Mr. Bowers is charged with killing 11 people and wounding six others Saturday — including four police officers -— at a synagogue in Squirrel Hill.
He originally posted the image to his Facebook account under a private setting around noon Saturday. But friends began asking if they could share it publicly, and by nightfall it was popping up around the world as profile photos on social media accounts, on newscasts, in major newspapers and news sites, and shared by some of Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams and athletes.
Banners at the Steelers-Browns game Sunday featured the logo, and more than a few of the region’s well-known natives such as actors Michael Keaton and Joe Manganiello shared on Instagram. Although many credited the Steelers with the image, director of communications Burt Lauten had stated they were unaware of the origin.
Mr. Hindes, a graduate of Allegheny College, is principal and CEO of Trailblaze Creative, which specializes in marketing, branding and graphic design. He is not Jewish but said anti-Semitism was on his mind even before Saturday, having witnessed remarks directed toward a friend earlier in the week.
After being tracked down by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he said he had been hesitant about taking credit for the design because “people nowadays tend to think the worst. I never wanted anyone to think I wanted to monetize a tragedy or benefit from tragedy.”
A high-res version of the image can be downloaded here, with the stipulation it will not be used for personal gain.
“I’ve realized, over the course of this, that it doesn’t matter [if famous people, or the Steelers or organizations share]. What matters is the number of people it’s resonating with. That’s progress, in the right direction.”
When Mr. Hindes began working on the logo, he started with the idea of steel, and what its strength represents to Pittsburgh. He also wanted to be respectful.
“You’re dealing with a religious symbol, and symbols and shapes that are potentially copyrighted and I wanted to make sure it was representative [but not offensive].”
Steel, he said, has been the backbone of buildings across the globe.
His little artwork took off in a big way: “I had no idea the magnitude this could bring, or the sense of community or camaraderie in how it has resonated with folks.”
On his Facebook page, Mr. Hindes provided a bit of background:
“Now, for anyone reading this unfamiliar with Pittsburgh, there’s something you should know — we don’t get rattled easily. This fortitude was instilled in our community by our pierogi-pinching grandmothers who didn’t take any crap from any jagoffs. We were strong before this tragedy. A tragedy like this just makes us stronger. Just like you can’t break steel, you can’t break the resiliency of a Pittsburgher. We are stronger than hate.”
In offering free use of the symbol on Facebook, Mr. Hindes described it as “an image for Pittsburgh and those who love Pittsburgh. I see every posting of this image as a WIN for love and a strike against hate.”
His post offers prayers for the “victims, their families and the Squirrel Hill community. I hope this small symbol demonstrates that you are not alone in your mourning and that we all love you.”
Maria Sciullo: msciullo@post-gazette.com or @MariaSciulloPG.
First Published: October 28, 2018, 9:23 p.m.
