Light It Up Blue is a global campaign that sees thousands of iconic landmarks, cities and towns around the globe turn blue once a year. The campaign draws attention to creating a greater public awareness of autism and educates communities on issues around autism. On April 2, Hawthorn was commissioned to turn City University London's College Building and Social Science Building blue to show support for World Autism Awareness Day.Professor Dermot Bowler, head of The Autism Research Group, said: "It is fantastic to see the buildings lit up in blue for World Autism Awareness Day. Raising awareness of autism is key to all the work the group does here at City. Our research has led to important discoveries in understanding people with autism and how we can help improve their quality of life."

Hawthorn project manager, Chris Smith said: “It was great to be able to partner the City University to raise awareness of Autism and be a part of a worldwide event. The brief was to create something visually stunning, that tied into the Autism Awareness campaign, our onsite team, led by Matt Herd, implemented a simple but effective design to great effect.”

April 2, 2014 was the seventh annual World Autism Awareness Day, since the day it was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007.