QUEERTYPE T-SHIRTS

Type design and t-shirt prints exploring and subverting the design of gender stereotypes in visual communication.

Cats have more fun queertype t-shirts Trouble is my middle name queertype t-shirts

Background

Queertype T-shirts is a collection of printed t-shirts, exploring visual and literal gender stereotypes found in high-street clothing stores. “Trouble is my middle name” is an example of a popular print for boys, and “I wear flowers” is an equivalent example from the girls’ department. The typographic style for prints aimed at girls are often decorative scripts, while the boys’ prints are set in neutral and bold sans-serifs. Queertype T-shirts subverts the gender stereotypes in these examples by inverting typographic style in the prints.

Typefaces

The typefaces are custom made for the project. Avec is a decorative script inspired by emoticons and feminine culture. Sans is the “netural” version, inspired by cornerstone sans-serifs such as Helvetica, Futura and Gill Sans.

queertype t-shirts typography queertype t-shirts label

Exhibition

The first collection of t-shirts were exhibited as an art piece and pop-up shop at the Royal College of Art final Show 2015.

RCA SHOW 2015 Queertype t-shirts RCA SHOW 2015 Queertype t-shirts

Read more

The project was realised thanks to generous crowdfunding and the printed t-shirts are now available for purchase at the Queertype webshop. Photos of people wearing them are documented on Instagram. True Womance has written about the project.

RCA SHOW 2015 Queertype t-shirts Queertype t-shirts I wear flowers

“I Wear Flowers” photo taken by Dionysis Livanis.