Pride Flag Banners
Client: The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, Student Experience Office, Equity and Inclusion Office, Student Communications
Target Audience: 2SLGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty. The entire UBC Okanagan campus community.
Design Deliverables: Flag pole banners, printed on blockout mesh.
Design Criteria: Include the intersex-inclusive Pride Progress flag.
Design Tools: Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign.
Overview
Flag banners designed as part of Pride History Month and Queer Orientation at UBC Okanagan. The flags represent the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as UBC’s commitment to creating an inclusive campus community where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are seen, respected, and treated equitably. The banners feature the familiar rainbow flag and include chevrons of black and brown (standing for people of colour), as well as pink, blue and white (standing for the transgender community) and a purple ring in a gold triangle (representing the intersex community).
Goals
Provide a venue for meaningful learning, while sparking conversation and building connections.
Represent and reflect the 2SLGBTQIA+ community while making a visible, celebratory demonstration of inclusion.
Increase the visibility and continued development of respectful, supportive, educational and safe spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, two-spirited and intersex persons or those questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Action in alignment with the UBC Inclusion Action Plan: “At UBC, inclusion is a commitment to creating a welcoming community where those who are historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized are treated equitably, feel respected, and belong.”
Challenges
October is not commonly known as a celebration for Pride.
The flag pole banners could feel performative without supporting strategy; intentional, complimentary programming, events, and community building efforts with campus partners.
Concept Development
Step one: Conducted design research to ensure the Pride colours are reflected accurately. Discovery: there are no universal, standard colour codes for the Pride flag.
Step two: Created a colour palette to best reflect each colour in the intersex-inclusive Pride Progress flag. Consulted with the Equity & Inclusion Office and persons from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for colour feedback to guarantee accuracy.
Step three: Research and source intersex-inclusive Pride Progress flag examples.
Step four: Design the intersex-inclusive Pride Progress flag, formatted to the UBC Okanagan flag pole banner requirements. Provide the client with three banner options for review and approval.
Step five: Design approval. Format the final design for print, production management, and installation coordination with internal stakeholders.
Final Execution
On-going conversations with stakeholders across campus was required to coordinate promotions and installation, as well as ensure the timeline aligns with accompanying events.
