Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stonewall with NYC Pride

The Stonewall Uprising in June 1969 is considered the most significant event that ignited the modern LGBT rights movement. That moment sparked a groundswell of grassroots activism whose impact is felt to this day when Pride is celebrated around the world on Stonewall's anniversary. In 2019, NYC Pride welcomes WorldPride and marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and a half-century of LGBTQ+ liberation.

Every five years, one city’s Pride festivities are elevated to WorldPride status in a competitive bidding process so we partnered with NYC Pride to help them win WorldPride designation to mark this important anniversary in the event's history. Its ideal location, coupled with the anniversary’s significance would create a perfect storm of size, scale and reach. However, they also needed a compelling story for the actual event, one that would attract and engage participants of all kinds as well as sponsors and corporate partnerships. In 2014, WorldPride in Toronto generated $719 million in sponsor related purchases and attracted over two million people, 67% of whom were first-time attendees.

NYC Pride originally created the iconic rainbow flag, but never trademarked it, so its expression is now ubiquitous. To succeed, Stonewall 50 needed a distinct, ownable brand identity immediately identifiable with the LGBT movement. One that reflected every aspect of where the movement was going and was rooted in a more modern, inclusive purpose beyond pure activism.

We developed the idea of ‘Millions of Moments of Pride’, designed to be big and welcoming from the start. It reflects a more modern world that’s connected, social and above all, equal. Whether you’re there to inspire action, honour history or celebrate pride, this idea welcomes everyone, and acted as a springboard for a distinct brand identity for Stonewall 50. One that abstractly reflects the coming together of different groups to form a vibrant communal tapestry, a flexible identity for different relationships. And one that blue chip global sponsors will proudly want to be associated with leading up to the event.

NYC Pride’s WorldPride bid was approved and attendance is expected to top seven million, significantly increasing Stonewall 50’s economic potential...and to top it all off our work won a GOLD Graphis Award.

You can see more of the work by viewing the case study, and find out about NYC Pride by visiting their website.