“What could we give to the ladies of the M-t-F transgender community that could be carried around easily; be fun, beautiful and functional; provide important health information; and be produced inexpensively?”
No small order… Well, for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, I suggested creating an expanding fan. It could have several panels and be held together by a grommet. When collapsed, it would be small enough to fit inside a bag or purse. It could have basic questions on the front and have a list of testing locations and other important information on the back.
The majority of the budget went to printing and die cutting with not much left for design. So we made origami flowers and photographed them closeup for the front panels, and used delicate floral patterns on the back panels. The patterns were used on the front panels too, bringing it all together. The typography is bold and decorative on the front and more straightforward on the back to communicate information. The fan was printed and die-cut locally. And hand assembled by volunteers at a cost of $1 per unit.
The finished fans were handed out at different places where the ladies meet and it was reported to have been very well received. I heard that everyone loved them.
