By Amy Thompson & Kinzie Buckley
Pride content has been available for years in Picsart, and this year we continue to celebrate with all new content and more. For Pride 2022, we transformed the Picsart platform into a space for the LGBTQ+ community to find power in creative expression and exploration. This creative destination was created to be a safe place where anyone, no matter their location, can come together to celebrate Pride, explore their identity, support with allyship, and inspiring edits showing how they’re #ProudbyDesign. Just look for #ProudbyDesign in the platform.
To echo the words of Mama Duke, a recording artist and a featured creator in our photoshoot, “Pride in 2022 means power. It means anything you want it to mean. It’s a new world. Out is in.”
Proud by Design
Pride is unique to each of us and the place that we’re at in our journey. That’s why everything, including the name for this campaign, Proud By Design, was created to be customizable. The Proud by Design content is overflowing with with free-to-use backgrounds, sticker packs, customizable posters, remixes, and Replays to empower self-expression.
Inclusive by Design
To launch the Proud by Design space we hosted a photoshoot where four LGBTQ+ creators and photographer Haley Varacallo collaborated to capture photos that truly represented themselves and their communities. Haley and each creator worked together to design their wardrobe, props, makeup, and hairstyling. With the help of Haley, we brought in a predominantly LGBTQ+ crew and designers from around Brooklyn to help bring each featured creator’s vision to life.
When asked about what it was like being on set, Aria Puga, one of our featured creators said: “Being here today has felt like I’ve been heard, working with people who are listening to what you want to say.”
The Photographer
Haley is a New York based queer photographer whose unique style is brought to life by “painting with light and bold color.” Together with her team, Ashley Brown and Samson Smith, and a predominantly LGBTQ+ crew, Haley, in her own words, “… wore many hats [for this project], which was amazing, because that’s what I love to do. I was the art director. I was the wardrobe stylist. I was the set designer, the set builder, the photographer, and the retoucher, and digital artist.
Haley on set
But what does Proud by Design mean to Haley? “I am Passionate by Design. I feel the most myself when I am creating something. I am most happy and fulfilled when I’m being creative and experimenting, and being able to use that passion inside me to see something come from it.” And you’ll see, Haley’s passion truly poured out into the photos she captured on set that day.
The Creators
We partnered with Queer Up and New Pandemics to help us find a diverse set of LGBTQ+ creators who each had a unique story to tell through design. Xoai, Aria, Alexis, and Mama Duke are all featured in this campaign with creative that captures their authentic selves.
Creators by Design
During the shoot, we sat down with each of our featured creators to learn more about their journeys, get creative advice, and find out what makes them Proud by Design.
What motivates you to create?
“I want people who are not in the LGBT community to be able to see their own humanity reflected in LGBT stories. For me, that’s the way to actually change our world.” – Xoai Pham
What’s the story behind your design?
“The story behind my design is world making – being able to create a world for myself that I live in, thrive in, and can share with my community.” – Alexis Ruiseco Lombera
What do you hope people take away from seeing you in this campaign?
“I hope people take away that we come in all shapes and sizes and colors and different kinds of power. Power doesn’t look like this to you, maybe. I hope people take away that you can show up as yourself. Everybody in this room is different. And of course, you have those thoughts of, ‘Will I, can I, should I,’ and the answer is absolutely.” – Mama Duke
What advice do you have for other LGBTQ+ creators?
“Lay your own path. There’s no foundation you have to follow. It’s your own world.” – Aria Puga
You by Design
Ready to join the global Pride celebration by making your own Pride edit? #ProudByDesign is packed with entirely free-to-use asset packs, Replays, creative design challenges, and tools to help you tell your own story in whatever way is most authentic to you.
And to get you started, here’s a sneak peak at what you can expect to find. These Stickers are a part of a limited edition set of stickers, backgrounds, and templates that were designed in partnership with Queer Design Club and Jonathan Torres. These, along with many more, can now be found on Picsart.
Year-Round by Design
Pride is so much more than just the month of June, which is why Pride content will live year-round under #ProudbyDesign on Picsart. And because representation matters, the images captured on set will also be used globally for the next year in a range of evergreen marketing and communications.
Above all else, Picsart was founded as and will always be a safe space for people from around the world to create, express themselves, and find community. We’ll monitor the Proud by Design space throughout the year to remove any hateful or negative comments, because hate does not have a place in creativity.
Join the Global Celebration
The LGBTQ+ community is actively redefining gender, representation, and what it means to have a multi-faceted identity. They’re using creative platforms to tap into the power of self-expression and sharing their work with the world. And Proud by Design is here to support the LGBTQ+ community and amplify their message around the world.
We’ll be releasing more Pride content regularly, so head to Picsart and voice your pride, support through allyship, and celebrate how you’re #ProudbyDesign.
Create at the Speed of Culture
Picsart is a full ecosystem of free-to-use content, powerful tools, and creator inspiration. With a billion downloads and more than 150 million monthly active creators, Picsart is the world’s largest creative platform. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, One Direction, Sanrio: Hello Kitty, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today to enhance your photos and videos with thousands of quick and easy editing tools, trendy filters, fun stickers, and brilliant backgrounds. Unleash your creativity and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!
