Between the Lines, 2022
Concept
‘Between the Lines’ is a graphic intervention intended to be installed along Oxford St, Sydney, and aims to shine a light upon the unrecognised history of the street. This project, which was part of a graphic design university assignment, challenged me to create a research-backed narrative through graphic design. ‘Between the Lines’ explores the intersecting stories of queer experiences on Oxford Street throughout history, before and after colonisation.
The Oxford Street of today is known as one of Sydney’s most queer-friendly spaces, lined with rainbow symbolism. However, a big part of this is rainbow capitalism, where corporations use elements of queer rights movements in their branding to capitalise off queer people. ‘Between the Lines’ peels back the metaphorical rainbow marketing sticker that covers Oxford Street, to restore it to the genuine, autonomous queer space it once was.
Through the use of historical images, observers of ‘Between the Lines’ are given a snapshot into the reality that was Oxford Street, and the queer people who paved the way for queer rights in Sydney. Three areas are spotlighted with this project to make this history digestible, each of which represents a different aspect of queer experience. With this project, I was able to explore my graphic design capabilities through designing my own logo type, transforming archival images, storytelling through graphics and employing research to ensure an appropriate and meaningful representation of my chosen community.
Skills Developed
Logo design
Brand identity design
Typeface design
Primary and secondary research
Image manipulation
Taylor Square represents Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras throughout the years, as Taylor Square is a central spot for the parade.
The Oxford Hotel represents the intersection of race and queer sexuality, because the hotel was a popular space for Aboriginal queer people.
The former Darlinghurst police station represents the oppression faced by queer people from institutions like the police.
Street fence rendered along Oxford St
Collage of visual ethnographic research, showing the rainbow marketing found along Oxford Street.
Original archival image on the left and my image treatment on the right
Graphic element I developed by manipulating an image of a floor tile on Oxford Street (top left image) and extracting the lines found