Originally founded in 2014, GlobaltraQs is a global digital mapping website that collects and celebrates queer stories, experiences, events, and resources throughout history. The project had never really gotten off the ground, so in 2020 the organization decided to rebrand and relaunch the website with a whole new vision and team, starting from the ground up. The rebrand included naming, design, UX/UI, and applications in social media as a starting point.

The new name, The arqive, came from a discussion about “queering” the canon of historical knowledge through exposing the queer histories and experiences that have been marginalized. The concepts of community and storytelling are central to the brand, which is why the wordmark utilizes the overlapping speech bubbles as letterform. The energy of multiple voices all communicating with each other expands into the visualization of the global map, with the use of speech bubbles as story pins adding color to the black and white landscape. Typography, colors, and photography styling all connect the past to the present: a classic typewriter-style serif mixed with a modern sans serif, an evolved and sophisticated rainbow palette based on the original Pride flag, and historical photography colorized and presented in a modern way.

The new brand has been implemented on the website, which will launch in May of 2020, alongside a social media campaign promoting the new look and website. Creating this identity not only helps decrease social isolation and give LGBTQ individuals a visual connection to a larger historical consciousness, but also to connect activists, organizers, resources, and community spaces, both intellectually and socio-politically, around an ethos of solidarity. This identity visualizes how storytelling can change perceptions and actions of LGBTQ individuals and communities.