"results showed that 85% of the overall representation were white and 84% cis male; staggeringly 40% were straight, male, white and cis in comparison to 1% visibility of transgender or non-binary people of colour." - in regards to contemporary LGBT+ targeted magazine covers 'models'.
"The market-mediated depictions of gayness lack diversity and may serve to propagate the gay sartorial stereotype that has come to be aphoristically accepted as the public face of gayness" (Ginder and Byun, 2015).
Many texts also identified the capitalisation of the lucrative sectors within the queer market. I classified this as a negative motivation in regards to representation; the LGBT market wants to be made visible for the purpose of acceptance and equal standing within wider society.
“Marketers must always be very careful to approach gay men and women with the utmost sincerity,” in other words "Don’t just market to me, but also support the causes that are important to me"(Cherkassky, 2016)
The manifesto/campaign takes the form of; an immersive and animated website design, a physical poster/zine and related promotional materials. Each element follows a brand identity informed by that of historical LGBT+ underground press; of which I observed within my primary research.
The websites design is considerate of target audience & user experiance in its simplicity and kinetic values. Each element has been informed by theoretical context then appropriated towards the contemporary creative audience. The inviting nature draws the user into what - if designed in-correctly - could be interpreted as quite a heavy subject. Careful consideration into animating effectively to improve clickthrough rates were made, this then insures a maximum amount of overall signatures.
The physical manifesto was an opportunity to create an adaptation of LGBT+ underground press aesthetics and refresh them for a new audience; with an influence of punk ideals and a postmodernist denial of socially constructed rules. The final piece expresses the passion of gay rights activism particularly by using obscure manipulations of typography and illustration. The final print used a risograph-printed process to reflect the DIY nature of creative activism; giving a modern day campaign a touch of its contextual history.
The design of promotional collateral was an opportunity to produce something bold and simple in design that expressed a social commentary on current LGBT affairs. The expression of such through typography is an expressive continuance of the historical activism informed theme the campaign.
The design of promotional collateral was an opportunity to produce something bold and simple in design that expressed a social commentary on current LGBT affairs. The expression of such through typography is an expressive continuance of the historical activism informed theme the campaign.
The overall design communicates a positive and friendly approach to supporting the LGBT community. It does this through considered choices in typeface, colour theory, layout, general aesthetic etc. The boldness in colour grabs attention initially; the pink was informed by the iconic symbol of the pink triangle; originally used in Nazi camps to identify homosexuals it has now been reclaimed by the queer community as a symbol of solidarity, anarchy and pride. The contrast between this pink and the IK blue is representative of traditional association that these colours separate the sexes (and people in general). The combination of the two is a mark togetherness & denial of discrimination.
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