If you’d like to read about my entire process on this project, tap “The Lavender Movement” in the navigation bar.
The Lavender Movement
A Case Study on LGBT+ Literature
Inspiration for this Study
My freshman year in college I was able to take a course called LGBTQIA+ Literature. In the course I was introduced to a number of novels, plays, poems, and short stories about LGBT+ people across history that I would have never known existed. For me, this posed the question, would I have come across these works on my own if I had looked for it? The short answer is no, not to worry, the long answer is below.
Research Question
How can Members of the LGBT+ Community learn more about other members of the LGBT+ community through literature in order to become more educated about other members of the community and the history of the community as a whole?
Interview Potential User
I reached out to a friend of mine to interview. I chose this person in particular because they have a vested interest in the LGBT+ Community, and they are well spoken and knowledgeable about the community as a whole. They also love reading and learning more about the LGBT+ Community, I thought they would be a perfect person to interview for their insights.
I found out that they had the same frustrations looking for LGBT+ Literature and history. They said that most of their luck finding books had been in either online or in novelty bookshops.
We also discussed gender dysphoria and how it can affect some individuals and it can be hard to feel connected when someone doesn’t see themselves represented in media. Not everyone can transition immediately, often times it can take several years for trans people to transition. And some people chose to not go through the “entire” process of transitioning. Those times in between can be very difficult for trans people who don’t pass. This was something that stuck with me as I developed branding for The Lavender Movement.
“I feel like a lot of people should understand that we face enough discrimination outside of the community, that we shouldn’t have it inside the community.”
“I’ve noticed there’s a lot of LGBTQ resources are mostly focused towards lesbians and gays and I would like to see more trans resources.”
As-Is Map
This is what looking for LGBT+ Literature looks like right now. It’s a bit depressing, but if you don’t have access to a university’s library or a similar system, it can be extremely difficult to find LGBT+ Literature.
Proposed Solution- The Lavender Movement
The Lavender Movement provides members of the LGBT+ community with literature and history about the community. At the moment, there are not any platforms that have these resources available. Most resources focus on current events, which are important, but the past of the community and its members should be honored. Additionally, there is a shortage of LGBT+ Literature. What does exist is hard to find and even harder to access. The Lavender Movement provides a safe, anonymous space for members of the LGBT+ community to share their story, learn more about their community’s past, and the experiences of others.
The Lavender Movement is an organized collection of articles, short stories, poetry, and personal stories by and for members of the LGBT+ Community. Works are submitted by members and approved by a team of editors who properly categorize the work into The Movement’s extensive catalog. These editors also compile the articles and fiction pieces that will be published in each seasonal issue of The Lavender Movement’s seasonal publication. The seasonal publication is executed by a team of designers, who also keep other visual collateral on brand. A team of curators work to include pieces published by other sources, in the catalog -so they become easily available to users.
The Lavender Movement is here to close the gap between readers and content.
Personas
If you’d like to read more about the research of The Lavender Movement, tap this button.
Branding
Naming & Logotype
The Lavender Movement gets its name from a group of lesbians in the 1970’s. A leader in women’s rights at the time, Betty Friedan called this group a “Lavender Menace” because she thought that these “man-hating radicals” were going to hinder the forward motion of women’s rights. The group took the name in stride and this negative term was reclaimed quickly.
The logotype is inspired by the fluidity of gender and sexuality. It is then juxtaposed with a tracked out Avenir.
Imagery
Photography isn’t used in The Lavender Movement’s branding, instead marbling is utilized to mimic the fluidity of sexuality and gender. There can be a lot of body image issues within the LGBT+ community. We want everyone to be able to see themselves within the stories that are being told.
All of this marbling was done by hand onto 100% cotton paper and then scanned in using a digital scanner. It was from these scans that brand colors were chosen
Color
The Lavender Movement uses Orange (for a pop of color), Blue, and Pink (which together make purple, or Lavender). The Orange also balance out the cool blue and pink. From there I went with black, but it was too harsh next to the other three colors, so it moved toward a mauve. Secondary colors include another blue and pink, and a neutral color.
Typefaces
Avenir is the main typeface of the brand and is supplemented by Bookmania in the publication.
If you’d like to read more about the Branding of The Lavender Movement, tap this button.
Website
The Lavender Movement’s website is extensive. After a user has signed in (which they have to do every time), they can access the entirety of the catalog. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and member work. All of the non-fiction work in the catalog is peer-reviewed, which makes it great for research! The Lavender Movement offers its services to universities across the country and students get free access to the catalog! If you’d like to learn more about the website, tap the button below
Seasonal Publication
The Lavender Movement’s publication goes out seasonally, so every 3 months. To receive it, a user can subscribe for the year.
If a user wants a past edition, all they have to do is order the specific edition from the site’s shop. Each edition features a sampling of member works, fiction, poetry and non-fiction. All of these works are also available on the site, but the site doesn’t look nearly as good on your bookshelf.
Final Thoughts
The Lavender Movement is for anyone who stumbles upon it. But the target audience is members of the LGBT+ Community who are interested in learning more about the community’s past and want to learn more about people in the community. There is a ton of LGBT+ content out there, but it can be hard to find. The Lavender Movement is here to close the gap.