LGBTQ+ Design, from the 1970s to the present day

Among the visuals adopted by the organisation to promote the initiative and convince public opinion, a poster designed in 1985 for a national convention went down in history, depicting a neighbourhood house with a pink triangle to indicate the presence of homosexuals inside. The other houses around it contain question marks that visually interpret the provocative question, written in pink, “What would the neighbours say?”. The poster was created with the intention of making family members reflect on the fact that others (the ‘neighbours’) might also be in the same situation, of which they should not be ashamed.

The current PFLAG logo debuted in 2004: a red heart intersected with a triangle above the yellow symbol of a burst. The heart represents the love of family and friends, the triangle has long been recognised as a symbol of the LGBT community, while the burst represents the power of the united front to advance equality.

Using language combined with visual symbols, PFLAG and other groups use design to emphasise their commitment and adherence to a set of shared principles and values. Symbols, banners, graphic art and logos designed to celebrate diversity and raise awareness of anti-discrimination.

LGBTQ+ Design between Symbolism and Terminology

The terms used to identify LGBTQ+ people have changed and differentiated over time, sometimes taken from words that had negative connotations in the past. Such as ‘Queer‘, which is currently used to refer to sexual diversity without ‘labels’, but in the 1970s was strongly denigrating.

The same goes for symbols, the pink triangle began to be used in the 1970s/80s as a symbol of protest and liberation of gay pride, but its origins lie in the history of the holocaust: the pink triangle was in fact applied to the clothes of homosexuals in the concentration camps. Today it helps not to forget the history of past persecutions, symbolising an ‘active struggle’.

The 1970s and the Rainbow Flag

The 1970s saw the beginning of the decade in which the LGBTQ+ community loudly announced its arrival in the national public sphere with the birth of associations to claim their rights. During these years, many symbols and graphics identifying the continuous fight against prejudice were born, among them the famous rainbow flag.

The rainbow flag is still a global icon of the LGBTQ+ liberation movement. The original 8-colour banner was designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, an American designer and performer. The artist had been asked to design a new flag for the upcoming ‘Gay Freedom Day‘, as they wanted to replace the pink triangle with a new, more positive symbol. Each colour represents a different foundation:

• sexuality
• life
• healing
• sunlight
• nature
• magic/art
• harmony
• spirit

Later, the 8 stripes were reduced to 6 in the version most used in recent years. Over time, many variants have been created to indicate different realities while maintaining the basic concept (for example, there is a three-coloured flag for bisexuals, or the Transgender flag). Beyond all the variants, the rainbow flag stands out for its extraordinary visual and communicative power.

LGBTQ+ design during the 1980s

TheHIV emergency was, unfortunately, one of the most significant events of the 1980s. Initially called the ‘cancer of gays’, HIV/AIDS exacerbated the already existing homophobia. Awareness-raising work on the issue led to the production of extraordinary visual campaigns.

‘Silence = Death‘ is perhaps the most famous campaign of those years. Designed in 1987 by a collective of six people, it consisted of an advertising poster strategically placed among the myriad of commercial posters.

In the poster, the collective inserts the pink triangle, already in use among the LGBTQ+ community, turning it upside down as a gesture of rejection of victimhood. To this it adds only an equation written in sans serif in capital letters: “SILENCE = DEATH“, signifying that the silent and passive acceptance of one’s condition inevitably leads to death. A clean design on a black background that stands out in the urban clutter of commercial advertising.

The 1990s and Pop Culture

The LGBTQ history of the 1990s is full of important steps: the gay community exposes itself more and more and initiates a policy of combating and preventing the spread of AIDS. In this context, the red ribbon was used for the first time in 1991 as a symbol of the campaigns against the virus.

Transgender and bisexual flags are also created in this decade, giving a voice to the communities more marginalised than lesbians and gays. During these years, homosexuals also enter pop culture through various television formats including sitcoms, films and cartoons such as The Simpsons.

HRC logo

The Human Right Campaign logo is one of the most recognisable symbols of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. It has become synonymous with the fight for equal rights for LGBTQ+ Americans.

The logo, unveiled in 1995, was the final touch in a complete reorganisation of HRC and reflects the goal of spreading the message of equality across the country. It was entrusted to the marketing and design company Stone Yamashita who submitted 10 designs, including a simple but bold yellow ‘=’ sign inside a blue square. After a few months, the logo was introduced with the new HRC letterhead, business cards and t-shirts, and can now be seen at Pride and other LGBTQ+ events along with the iconic rainbow flag.

LGBTQ Design in the 21st Century

Being homosexual in the 21st century is far from the taboo concept it was in previous eras. Although it seemed impossible before, people can now marry regardless of gender. New technologies have also radically changed life for the LGBTQ+ community, especially for gay men. Meetings that used to take place exclusively in bars and clubs are now mediated by apps such as Grindr.

Grindr logo

When Grindr debuted in the Apple store in 2009, little did anyone know how much it would change gay social networking. Three years later, 4 million users have created profiles on the app, making it the most popular platform for gay dating.

It is interesting to analyse Grindr’s logo: a masked face. The app’s founder, Joel Simkhai, discussed the origin of the logo in an interview, saying he was inspired by the tribal arts of Africa and Polynesia that use these primordial masks. Meeting is a primary human need to relax and socialise, and socialising is the basis of humanity.

Gilbert Baker Typeface

On the occasion of the death of Gilbert Baker, the designer of the rainbow flag, NYC Pride and Fontself have teamed up to create a free font inspired by Baker’s flag design: the Gilbert.

BETRUE Collection – Nike

Finally, Nike also celebrated Pride Month in 2019 with the BETRUE collection, created in collaboration with Gilbert Baker Estate in support of the shared vision for a more egalitarian future. The shoes in the collection sport the 8 colours of Baker’s original flag, with his signature included.