Siran BabayanGilbert Baker created the rainbow flag (originally with eight colors, now six) in San Francisco in 1978 as a visual representation of gay pride. Like McDonald’s, Nike, Starbucks and Apple, Baker’s creation has gone on to become one of the most iconic and enduring images of all time. Andy Campbell’s new book, Queer X Design: 50 Years of Signs, Symbols, Banners, Logos, and Graphic Art of LGBTQ, which he signs tonight, traces the modern LGBTQ movement’s artistic milestones across five decades, from the 1970s to the 2000s, preceded by the pre-gay liberation of the ’50s and ’60s.
Campbell, an assistant professor of critical studies at USC, breaks down the history and social and political impact of the Pink Triangle, AIDS Quilt, ACT UP’s Silence=Death and Ribbon Project, as well as imagery associated with some of today’s millennial brands and causes, including NOH8 and Grindr.
Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., Los Feliz; booksoup.com; Mon., June 17, 7pm; free.
Queer X Design
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