Listen Queer

Listen Queer is a personal tour guide through the rich LGBTQIA+ history of cities, bringing to life forgotten people. Users can follow in the footsteps of our queer, trans and nonbinary forebears, mapping their paths onto present-day spaces.

PROJECT
Brand Identity
Website application

Dr Lena Mattheis and Prof Chris Mounsey are both researchers specialising in queer and trans literature and history. During Covid they came up with the idea of creating a walking tour app to share that research with others but needed a design partner who could help bring it all to life in an engaging and accessible way.

Chris is partially sighted, and Lena has CVD (colour vision deficiency), so accessibility and user experience were even more crucial than ever. We used Inclusive Sans, a text font designed for accessibility and readability, which incorporates key features that make it highly legible in all uses. Features include recognisable characters with no mirrors (e.g. db/qp), a tall x-height and open apertures.

The app is designed to work both on site, as a walking tour, and also for those happier exploring in the comfort of their own home. It's a joyful and celebratory guide to the many sides of queer history that have been minoritised over time. The colour palette, whist maintaining AAA rating for contrast and colour accessibility, reflects this, as do the little design flourishes throughout the design system.