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Gala Invite Mockup

HRC Virtual Gala Invite

Instructor: Scott Laserow

For this project, we were tasked with choosing a black-tie fundraising gala to design a physical invitation for a virtual event. I chose the Human Rights Campaign Gala & Auction, an annual event that celebrates the great strides made for LGBTQ+ equality across the nation and raises money to help those who still experience profound injustice. I chose to make my invitation an accordion fold timeline that showcases major events in LGBTQ+ history.

Beginning Process:

I started out by brainstorming what I wanted the feel of this invite to be. I knew that it was important to keep the lively and colorful spirit that is often associated with the community while intertwining this with a sophisticated twist that was appropriate for a black-tie event. The LGBTQ+ community is of course often associated with the rainbow. However, I was hesitant to implement this as it's usually overdone or is what companies slap on a logo for pride month without much thought. After doing some research I decided I did still want to use the rainbow but tone down the colors for a softer look which is what led me to the idea of the rainbow ribbon and ultimately my LGBTQ+ timeline.

After establishing my idea I knew that I had to compile and narrow down a list of important events. Some major events that I definitely wanted to include were the Stonewall riots in 1969 and same-sex marriage being legalized in America in 2015 but after some research, I narrowed my list down to twenty-three events spanning from 1950 to 2015. Once I had my list I chose and sketched out an icon that would represent each event on the timeline.

gala invite sketch III.jpg
gala invite sketch II.jpg
gala invite sketch I.jpg
Final Product:

Because this event would hypothetically be held online, I aimed to make the invitation an exciting and interactive experience. The invite would come in a stylized box which you would find the invitation in once opened. The cover of the invitation includes a die-cut(I don’t think it’s considered a die cut?) that would reveal the QR to RSVP for the event. The invitation is what opens up to be the LGBTQ+ timeline. When creating this invitation I thought about paper waste and how I could nudge people into keeping this invitation after receiving it. Creating a timeline solved this problem by being an educational experience and also being an aesthetically pleasing piece that the receiver could hold on to if they liked. The deliverables for this project additionally include a stamp, zoom background, and the mobile RSVP component.

gala timeline m1.jpg
gala timeline m2.jpg
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