Client

Graphic design final thesis project

Goal

Design a resource that encourages individuals to consider gender identity (both that of themself and of others) in a new, more complex way

Strategy

After deciding upon a more precise audience and goal, I conducted research and put together outcomes whose forms matched the content

Note: The terms “not cis” and “trans” are used interchangeable throughout this project to refer to any individuals who are not cis; this includes non-binary, genderfluid, and all other identities that fall under the transgender flag.

Step 1: Audience and Goal

Every individual that goes about exploring their gender has some level of obstacles to work through. There are societal expectations, self-doubt, lack of information, and countless other pressures. With this in mind, I posed this question:

What kind of obtainable resource would be most effective in inspiring self-reflection on gender through introducing queer theory, deconstructing gender, and encouraging self-acceptance?

I kept the audience and tone vague purposefully. While my primary target would be individuals who are struggling to explore their gender, I wanted to keep my messaging open to individuals who weren’t actively exploring; anyone can benefit from a larger understanding of gender, whether to help them better understand themself or to better understand others.

Primary Audience Interviews

For my first round of interviews, I contacted 7 individuals who identified themselves as “not cis”. These interviews were conducted to set a grounding for my understanding of their lived experiences of gender exploration, as well as get feedback on pre-existing resources.

My first set of questions remained broad, prompting them to talk about their own gender exploration to their own level of comfort. My second round of questions focused on resources, outside factors, and internal feelings that impacted their gender exploration in a positive or negative way. I also asked what kind of resources they wished existed. I allowed discussions to stray away from the initial questions as much as the respondents liked.

I took the main points from each interview, wrote them in short hand on sticky notes, and organized them based on their form (ie. internal feelings vs. the internet) and whether the respondent cited them as being positive or negative. I assigned each respondent a different color sticky note so that I would be able to see if any of the data was being skewed by one respondent.

Big Takeaways

Multiple respondents expressed interest in a resource that catered to the emotional side of gender exploration.

They also cited terminology as important and one recipient suggested that it would be helpful if there was an online dictionary that made it easier to search for and filter terms.

For me, one surprising takeaway from these interviews was that every respondent said that they don’t believe gender exploration ever ends.

Subject Matter Expert Interviews

To make sure I approached this project correctly, I interviewed 3 experts of gender studies and diversity. I had leading questions prepared relating to pre-existing resources, correct terminology, mistakes to avoid, etc. but the majority of these interviews became open discussions. We talked through queer theory, ways of depicting the gender spectrum, trans characters in media, and setting expectations for this project.

After writing out the main points from my interviews, I organized them into 4 categories: general advice, recommendations on how to depict the gender spectrum, the form the resource could take, and directions the content could focus on.

Big Takeaways

During all 3 interviews, we got to talking about how gender exploration is very different for everyone so no single project would work for everyone; that being said, we also discussed how a project that responds to and/or is catered to the individual would be more likely to reach a larger audience.

One expert suggested that any dictionary of terminology would benefit from the ability to be updated. In this way, outdated, reclaimed, and problematic terminology could be included with the nuanced explanations of their history and proper usage.

I was greatly encouraged to read up on queer theory to see how gender has been discussed in academia, but I was also told to keep a clear distinction between theory and lived experiences since they don’t always align for everyone.

Picture Card Interviews

For these interviews, I reached out to 7 individuals who identified themselves as “not cis,” 3 of whom were in the first round of interviews. I provided the respondents an odd assortment of illustrations, symbols, color palettes, words, and photos. After briefing them on the premise of my project, I had respondents sort all the items based on whether or not they would like to see it in a gender exploration resource. We would briefly discuss their reasoning for some of their choices and then I would ask them to design a resource using some of the items, including the form, message, and tone.

When I was organizing the main ideas from these interviews, I made a sort of double bar graph; the top showed all the notes while the bottom showed which ideas had been discussed by the most individuals.

Big Takeaways

The majority of respondents were strongly against the use of any photography of individuals. While many expressed that they liked the idea of including some level of illustration, multiple respondents pointed out that any depiction of a person would intrinsically imply something about how someone of that identity would or should look. On the other hand, one respondent said that depicting non-human creatures would imply that trans individuals were inhuman, fictional, or strange.

While some certainly preferred the idea of a resource that would be more structured and clinical, it was brought up time and time again that a resource with a lighthearted tone and aesthetic would help deliver information to individuals who might be stressed about the topic of gender.

To my surprise, there was a general preference for information that was rigid and specific (such as the Venn Diagram Gender Spectrum) over information that was loose and open to interpretation (such as the Loose, Artistic Gender Spectrum). While the lack of rules and complexity of gender should be included, they said it should be paired with information that can actually mean something to someone still figuring themself out.

At this point, I decided upon a two-pronged approach; a workbook that would discuss queer theory, introduce new ways of thinking about gender, and encourage self-acceptance. I would pair this with a website that would supplement the book with information that could be more readily updated.

I pulled the biggest points from all of my research and organized them by whether I wanted them included in the book or the website. Then, I organized them in rows with the top row being items that were most important/necessary and the bottom row being items that would only be included if I had enough time/they fit really well.

The next steps was putting together a cohesive flow of information for the book and deciding what was most important for the website to supplement.

 Step 6: Website

Once I had my book together, it was clear that the most important function the website could serve would be to have a living dictionary with a unique search function to help individuals find terms they might identify with.