HIV+ symbol

This isn't quite your usual logo design, and the client in this case was myself. In 1995 I was diagnosed as being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, which is generally believed to lead to AIDS. It was a traumatic event for me. As part of my own therapy and acceptance of the fact, I designed a symbol for myself to use on t-shirts. I'm not in the closet about being gay, so there was no way I was going to be in the closet about being HIV+.

I wanted something bold, direct, colourful, playful, eye-catching, and not immediately obvious — something that would require a second look — and that would not merely identify me as being HIV+, but also gay. Using simple, linear geometric shapes allowed me to convert the V into a pink triangle, a former Nazi symbol for gay men brought back into use by activists in the 1970s. (I find the pink triangle a more meaningful gay symbol than the more recent wimpy and vague rainbow flag.)

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