Branding, graphic and web design done through a social justice for the Queer and Trans Empowerment Center (QTEC). QTEC’s mission is to empower and equip members of the LGBTQIAP community with the skills, resources, and supports to be resilient in today’s world.

We conducted a brand discovery meeting to identify goals, dreams and a sustainable strategy to get QTEC off and running. We created a logo system, provided brand guidelines, and assisted with web design.

Social Justice Lens:

Our branding strategy’s foundation focuses first and foremost on those who have the most barriers to access the brand and what it can provide to them. By centering those needs, we can branch out to other needs.

Queer culture is ever-changing so being able to identify elements that felt like reclaiming history was a crucial storytelling component: social justice and design meet where authenticity and empowerment intersect.

The brief

Design a logo that’s not predictable for the LGBTQ community and yet is relatable.

Pack different meanings and layers.

Evoke a sense of reclaiming.

The design

By applying our branding expertise + our social justice lens we were able to come up with a logo that tells a story, is unexpected and relatable.

The Queer and Trans Empowerment Center’s logo that embodies transformation and empowerment by containing many meanings and embracing queer symbol.

At a first glance its main outer shape reveals a butterfly. That butterfly is the combination of two hearts, alluding to love, community and care. Queer and trans people continue to transform and rethink norms, very much like the the process of a butterfly.

The color scheme moves away from the predictable rainbow colors, making the mark stand out and feel more in alignment with the organizations offerings and mission.

We created a responsive website that could easily be updated by the members of QTEP. Pictures were carefully selected from sources that feature real queer people in a multitude of dimensions.