Vans Pride 2023

Vans wanted to stand out amongst the corporate rainbows consumers have grown numb to seeing each June. So, the Vans Creative Team created a nuanced and authentic campaign to represent the diverse Queer community better.

The 'Together As Ourselves' campaign speaks to individuals and what makes them unique. We collaborated with Tegan & Sara and their foundation, the Poet, artist, and legend Tyris Winter, and musical artist and playwright Kae Tempest to share their story and design their collection at Vans.

As the lead creative on this campaign, I oversaw creative ideation amongst the team, spoke with illustrators to collab with, worked alongside the photographer to capture imagery at the shoot and make sure our marketing partners were happy with content capture, manage the team to make sure all visual and copy assets tied back to the campaign, and worked with artist partners to share their work with the world.

The work was utilized across web, social, artist partner channels, in-store channels, and a unique in-store gallery experience.

Design System

Vans used a custom logo type to commemorate pride. Bold, blocky monospaced letters inspired by grids and bauhaus style allowed us to create room for play and expression.

We created a toolkit of bespoke decorative shapes for the campaign. The imperfect edges and wiggly strokes highlight individuality and self expression in the Queer community.

Photography

Using soft lighting and a minimal set up, we encouraged each of our talent to come out of their shell. Ultimately, our portrait photography centers queer joy, empowerment, and self-expression, all while showcasing our evergreen product. When capturing product, we stayed true to the concept of “Together as Ourselves” and crafted cheeky shots that subtly nod to both the fun and the intersectionality of the community.