Great opportunities to truly collaborate don’t come around too often. But when they do, they are extraordinary. The Love & Ally Project is one of those kinds of opportunities.
When I met the You Are Collective for the first time, we knew there were meaningful connections between the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, its allies and mental health. Still, it took time to figure out how we could work together to make a positive impact. We knew we wanted to design apparel we would all be proud to wear ourselves. We also knew we wanted to dedicate a portion of proceeds to a cause to better the collective mental health of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. After all, helping create safe spaces and advocating for mental health is a big part of You Are Collective.
The result was a thoughtful collection of T-shirts, stickers, and hats. A portion of the proceeds from this apparel goes towards the local 2SLGBTQIA+ and allies youth group. We felt it was essential to support this group, whose primary focus is to create a safe space for individuals to be themselves and support each other.
Love & Ally a 2SLGBTQIA+ Design
I love breaking out all the colours of the crayon box for Pride-themed designs. However, this project was about more than trying to be colourful. It was about making apparel that makes a statement. When we break it down, the cornerstone of Pride is equality and acknowledgement that LOVE = LOVE no matter who you are. So I decided to create a graphic that would say that with words, shapes, and colours in its most simplistic forms.
I experimented a lot before reaching a final design. The result was a 3D multi-chromatic heart intertwined within the word LOVE housed within a box. I had always wanted to learn how to do the technique that created the twisting 3D multi-chromatic heart design. Still, I needed a good reason to do it. Fortunately, this technique fits so nicely as an expression of Pride and the spectrum of identities that are part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
The ALLY design needed to represent allies differently. I wanted to create something that an ally to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community could wear with pride. Something to include them in the celebration. I often think of an ally as someone standing with you in the rain on the bad days and celebrating with you in the sun on the good days. It is friendship and love in action, providing strength, support, and understanding when we need it most. This is why the word ALLY was set similarly to the LOVE graphic. However, I placed it within a rain of rainbows instead of a heart. It signifies the importance of the strength and support of an ally when the rain starts to fall.
RESULTS
The result is a collection of designs created out of love and respect for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and its allies. A collaboration with an exceptional social enterprise donating a portion of proceeds to help support the well-being of LGBT2QIA+ youth, their friends and allies within the community.
For more Pride-related content and design inspiration, be sure to check out my website at cyanbolddesign.com.
