Learn With Pride
Campaign Design
Duration
4 Weeks
Software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
Adobe After Effects
My Role
Visual Designer
Brand Designer
UX Designer
Summary
Brief
"We’re asking you to design materials that spread a message of belonging, visibility, and pride for LGBTQIA+ students and staff at GCU. Your campaign should be able to be used across the different LGBTQIA+ events we hold and celebrate including Pride Month (June), LGBT History Month (February), and Trans Day of Visibility (March) but also feel fresh and inspiring all year round. We hope to use these designs during Freshers Week, Open Days, and everyday campus life. These resources will be used again and again to create a strong, lasting sense of belonging."
Client
GCU LGBTQIA+ Association
Aim
To develop a flexible and inclusive visual campaign that supports LGBTQIA+ visibility at GCU across multiple events and everyday life, ensuring long-term reusability, consistency, and impact.
Deliverables
Flagpole Posters x 7
Digital posters for social media
Team Size
3 people
Understand 🡢 Research 🡢 Ideate 🡢 Design 🡢 Deliver
Process
Understand
The problem…
To visually communicate an effective outcome regarding the LGBTQIA+ community's belonging at GCU, the team and I must consider the community's complexity.
The constraints…
Current stigmas:
The LGBTQIA+ community face frequent discrimination and homophobia.
Target audience:
Although the campaign is intended for university grounds, it must be inclusive to everyone.
Research
Pride began as a protest for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, challenging discrimination and social stigma.
Researching user psychology enabled the design to be more engaging and impactful, evoking the users visceral reactions.
GCU promotes diversity, equality, and inclusion. Supporting LGBTQ+ campaigns aligns with these values by encouraging respect, awareness, and community support across campus.
The purpose of the campaign is to utilise provocation to increase awareness, celebrate LGBTQ+ identities, and promote inclusivity and conversation within the university community. The campaign aims to encourage conversation, reduce stigma, and create a more supportive environment for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
Ideate
Various user personas were generated using AI to quickly model potential target users due to the short project timeframe. This helped identify key audience needs, motivations, and behaviours to guide design decisions. It also allowed interviews to be carried out for each persona, further informing design.
Moodboards were created to explore visual direction, including colour, typography, imagery, and tone. This helped establish the overall aesthetic and emotional feel of the campaign which was community and belonging.
Initial poster designs tested different colours, typography, imagery, and slogans. Pride-inspired colours and bold layouts were used to emphasise visibility and the campaign message.
Different campaign names and slogans were developed to communicate the message clearly and memorably. These were used to define the campaign tone and strengthen its identity. The name 'Learn With Pride' was chosen, inspired by Postmates campaign, 'Eat with Pride'. Communication with the client emphasised distain for 'cliché' and 'millennial' wording.
Design
The final designs use bold colours, textured backgrounds, and cut-out portraits to reflect LGBTQ+ pride and create strong visual impact on social media. Consistent layout and colour variations allow multiple posts while keeping a clear campaign identity.
Regular meetings with the client ensured the campaign stayed aligned with their goals and audience. Feedback on early concepts helped refine the tone, messaging, and visual direction.
Final Deliverables
Reflection
This campaign taught me the importance of accessibility, ensuring designs were inclusive for all students, including those from countries where LGBTQ+ identities are criminalised.
Prioritising readability, contrast, and clear messaging made the work more effective.
Frequent client meetings were invaluable, allowing me to refine ideas in real time and improve the overall impact. I also learned how to create flexible visual systems that maintain consistency across multiple media.