Limited edition merchandise – what brings you queer joy?

Back in January, we ran a joint competition with Homotopia, a local charity in Liverpool City Region championing queer arts, culture and activism. The aim of the competition was to amplify untold queer stories within our community and celebrate the Joy movement we are expressing currently, due to our migration into our new Joy building. The winning design, curated by Ren (he/they) has been transformed into a special limited edition collection of merchandise, that is available to buy now.

Ren told us that ‘My illustration style is inspired by everyday whimsy, in my work I often utilize a mix of digital illustration as well as physical creation using markers and coloured pencils. I am also a lino printer, and through this explore folk values and community, which is what inspired this design.’

‘Before designing this I thought hard about what Queer Joy means to me, and when I experience it most is with others. This lead to a multitude of sketches, landing on a layout that is inspired by Western posters, with the chunking of sections. I focused on using two colours so the design was not busy and the message spoke clearly.’

‘Queer Joy for me is experienced through my connections with others and the world around me. The relationships I have with other queer people are so important, and the lens I see the world through is shared with them, so when in a community setting there is a base level of connection already in the room. To me, that is when I feel the most joy, when it is derived from my queer experiences shared with others.’

‘My experience of the competition process was lovely, the prompt and submission instructions were clear, and this allowed for a design that both fit the brief and was from a place of joy.’

Learn more about Open Door Charity today and see the vital work we are doing to provide mental health support to young people across Merseyside.

Learn more about Homotopia and their passionate work in helping queer people across Merseyside express themselves through activism and art.