Industry creatives challenge lack of LGBTA+ representation in Valentine’s Day cards

A team of global creatives have teamed up to launch a series of inclusive Valentine’s Day cards to challenge the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in greeting cards.

Working in collaboration with US-based LGBTQ+ charity GLAAD, the project is the mastermind of The Gate London creatives Beth Grace and Hannah Cunningham, and features 16 unique designs created by illustrators, designers and artists from all over the world.

Each card has been created with LGBTQ+ love in mind, and will be made available as high resolution files for a small donation made to GLAAD. The designs will be posted daily over the course of the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Contributions to the project include designers and illustrators working across a number of advertising agencies, including Havas London, The Gate, as well brands like Asos. Other illustrators include Georgia Soteriou, Phillip Harris and Thomas Hedger.

Hannah and Beth said: “The project began from a frustration surrounding the lack of representation in the greetings card industry, with Valentine’s Day being the catalyst. We struggled to make sense of the fact that on a day that champions love, a whole spectrum of love is being excluded.

“By partnering with a large range of illustrators, designers and artists we wanted to broaden the scope of styles and designs, with the hope that everyone could find a design that fit with their type of love.”

Illustrator Phillip Harris said: “The world already has enough barriers and the LGBTQ+ community have to often fight for acceptance in other aspects of their lives, why should a simple everyday task of finding a card for their partner be an issue?”

Designer Graham Robson said: “I knew the second I heard about this project that it was something I wanted to be part of. It felt like an opportunity for me to be more open about my personal experiences – I know what it feels like to feel invisible and underrepresented in popular media, especially on days such as Valentine’s Day.”

People can find out more about the project and make a donation to access the designs here.

Source: MSQ Partners

  Beth Grace, Design, GLAAD, Hannah Cunningham, LGBTQ+, MSQ Partners, Valentine’s Day