LAVENDER HILL
Queer is Here.
Assets created by Ashton Design
Assets created by Ashton Design
CLIENT
Lavender Hill Queer Cultural District
Denver, CO
SERVICES
Naming
Strategy
Positioning
Tagline
Campaign
Copywriting
Press Release
CREDITS
Ashton Design graphic design
WEBSITE
THE BRIEF
The Queer Community Cultural District of Denver wanted to create a safe and celebratory place in the interior U.S. for all LGBTQIA+ people. They asked Fat Lip to help position, then announce, themselves in their hometown and beyond. From name to press to campaign, we created a singular personality that reflected the dynamism of its community.
NAMING + STRATEGY
When naming the district, the QCCDD was conflicted between a more straightforward name and a more coded name, like Lavender Hill. Fat Lip vetted each for strengths and weaknesses, then we posed the options to the community for a vote. Lavender Hill was the clear favorite.
Defining Lavender Hill’s mission with declarative statements helps the district establish its identity without compromising its personality.
HISTORY
Denver is home to a dynamic Queer history that wasn’t being shared. The aim of the new district was to not only celebrate this lineage, but carry it forward in order to benefit today’s city in a tangible ways, including new business incentives, art installations, and community events.
A big challenge was properly conveying that this district is defined by Denver's culture, not street signs.
CAMPAIGN
The “Queer is Here” campaign is the plain-stated complement to Lavender Hill’s more coded name. The simple, powerful statement allows the district to play with multiple tones, whether fun, proud, or defiant, depending on the context in which it’s used. It increases the visibility of Queer people everywhere; plus, it adds multidimensionality to existing Denver landmarks and neighborhoods, thereby enriching the city’s fabric.
CAMPAIGN
The campaign’s visuals make the most of our plays on words, showing how a visual tweak can reveal the Queer identity that is part of Denver’s story.
“Queer is Here” makes the most of the district’s blurred borders, as a poster or bumper sticker can pop up anywhere to make any person, business, or place feel included.
MESSAGING
Experimenting with language allows Lavender Hill to speak to multiple communities at once, both in and out of the campaign. It educates newcomers while making Queer people feel like they are part of the ‘in’ crowd. It's what makes a simple bumper sticker at a street crossing a symbol of Bi pride (if you know, you know).
“Meg’s talent, work, and allyship have been invaluable to the launch of our district, and the messaging she crafted for us is compelling, engaging, and communicates exactly what we hoped. By helping us establish our name, tone, and identity, we have been able to be successful in pursuing partnerships, collaborations, and projects with a host of stakeholders and community members with legitimacy and personality. I cannot recommend working with Meg highly enough.”
Zach Kotel, Co-Founder & Executive Director, LHQCCD
