The topic of gender inclusion has been at the forefront of media, conversations, and everyday life. Gender inclusion is the acceptance and understanding of what gender is and what people self identify as. Gender is a social construct and often viewed as being binary (male or female). In more recent years, the concept of gender has shifted to be more inclusive. It is far more complex and multi-dimensioned than just being male or female.
With this outdated binary view, males and females also have been assumed to have distinct characteristics. These characteristics include being masculine or feminine. Feminine and masculine should not belong to a specific gender. To break down the barriers of what feminine and masculine look like it was important to create something that was simplistic and impactful to start the conversation of gender inclusion.
The process of creating a poster for gender inclusion was reliant on conscientious thought, research, and execution. Multiple rounds of brainstorming kicked off the project. A technique that is taught as a fundamental skill in the design education is the idea of mind-mapping or form-storming. The mind maps show the natural and chaotic thought process. The topic of gender inclusion was discovered during this portion. Gender inclusion was followed by further refinement and exploration, ultimately leading to the final product.
Typography and illustration together to show that masculine and feminine go against conforming to a specific gender. To address the modern idea of inclusion, the tag line, “It is about inclusion.”, was added. The link to GLAAD, a media force whose primary focus is LGBTQ acceptance, is included as well as a call to action to get people involved in the discussion of gender based topics and issues.
Design breakdown and initial brainstorming/sketches
