Gran Fury
The voice of a movement
In 1987, the height of the AIDS crisis in America, nearly 300 people came together to form the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP. The group was dedicated towards causing disruption, informing the public when the government refused to, and spurring action of any kind. An integral part of this action was Gran Fury: the graphic center of ACT UP.
Due to the danger of going public in a world that didn’t want to hear their message, the eleven members of Gran Fury worked anonymously for its eight year active period. Self described as a “...band of individuals united in anger and dedicated to exploiting the power of art to end the AIDS crisis” Gran Fury operated through art to spread awareness. The pieces that they created during this time became staples of the AIDS era and movement and spurred action across the globe.
Today, Gran Fury poster design may feel outdated and nostalgic. However, their messages can often still ring true even after the AIDS crisis has calmed. I’ve decided to redesign these posters with modern techniques to re-emphasize their original powerful messages.
Original (left) Redesign (right)
The original poster relies on a bold, risque message which was a popular Gran Fury technique. It addresses the cis, often white, wealthy upper class that preferred to sweep the topic of AIDS under the rug and continue to only care about economic growth. In order to keep the integrity of this message while modernizing it, I opted to keep the "money green" colors while simplifying the design to not include the faded $100 bill in the background.
Original (left) Redesigns (right)
Originally a bus poster, the Kissing Doesn’t Kill ad was effective on public transportation because it could reach a wide audience. However, today a wider audience can be reached on social media. I formatted my re-designs into a mock series of potential posters for Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook photo posts. ACT UP relied on Gran Fury’s ability to raise awareness about AIDS as well as to simultaneously put pressure on the government. This is a perfect example of Gran Fury’s ability to wield that two headed message.
Original (left) Redesign (right)
Gran Fury employed the very powerful technique of provocation. Their graphics were simple, emphasizing the wordplay, which was often vulgar in order to be eye catching. This would force the viewer to read instead of look away, stop and double take to comprehend. This is the case with the Condoms poster.
I redesigned this poster with a more graphic approach in mind when considering today’s society. Short attention spans combined with the constant bombarding of media make for a people that soak up messages constantly. In order to compete in this stimulating visual environment, I focused more on designing the type to accentuate the original provocative message. At the same time, I wanted to bring the message even further in today's society. By adding a colon, I aim to more clearly and powerfully address all men, not just gay men, as we now know STDs and AIDS affect all sexually active humans, not just homosexual males.
Original (left) Redesign (right)
Gran Fury’s most iconic piece is undoubtedly their Silence = Death poster. It became the face of the AIDS movement, simultaneously accusing the government and warning the public. The original graphic was a reaction to the silence by the Reagan government combined with a take-back of the Nazi pink triangle used to label homosexuals during WWII.
I re-designed this iconic poster to be more recognizable to the modern LGBT individual. The rainbow flag, designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, is now a much more widely used symbol in regards to the gay movement than the pink triangle. Combined with the “equal” sign which is a common modern symbol of political equality, I aim to bring the original powerful poster into the 21st century.
