Postcards from Pride
Spreading thousands of messages of hope and positivity
How a virtual museum inspired a set of postcards that have been shared around the world
When we share our story, we encourage others to do the same.
And the more stories we see, the more people feel seen. Which is important. Because not everyone gets the same opportunity to share their story, or to hear stories that they connect with – particularly when they’re at work.
But an environment where everyone feels comfortable to be their authentic self is an environment that’s better for everyone. And it’s better for businesses too. So, how do we create that?
By offering inspiration. Making space. Encouraging more representation.
Here's the story of how Deloitte turned important stories from the LGBTQ+ community into a collection of postcards that has encouraged people from around the firm to share a little more of their own story.
From virtual reality to real stories…
In 2022 we partnered with Antonia Forster, an augmented reality specialist, to share the world’s first LGBTQ+ VR museum as a pop-up immersive experience.
Built using augmented reality technology, the museum exhibits 3D scans of real-life objects chosen by people in the LGBTQ+ community. There’s a pair of wedding shoes. A teddy bear and a feather headdress. A dog-eared novel. A life-size sculpture. All accompanied by the personal story of the person who submitted them, told in their own voice.
One of the most successful elements of the experience was a quiet area that encouraged visitors to pick up a pen and share their experiences, feelings and reflections. Hundreds of messages were anonymously submitted, all telling of how moving and inspiring it had been to hear untold stories of challenge, of adversity and, most importantly, of hope.
We received hundreds of handwritten messages and knew we wanted to do something special with them....
Drawing inspiration…
Inspired by the personal nature of the responses to the LGBTQ+ VR museum, we created a collection of 10 postcards – all designed to encourage those within the community to keep sharing stories. On one side, a hand-illustrated design. On the other, space for people to add their own message and send it to someone.
Deloitte’s LGBTQ+ network selected ten messages that they felt were most representative of the queer community and then our in-house creative agency, 368, set to work to create matching hand-drawn illustrations.
Traced handwriting, colours from the LGBTQ+ Pride flag and prompts from the VR museum were incorporated into every design to capture the spirit of the original messages, with final designs printed sustainably and using fully recyclable materials.
The story continues…
The feedback received in response to the postcards has been overwhelmingly positive. Embraced by the firm’s LGBTQ+ network, PROUD, the first packs of postcards were sent far and wide to people inside and outside of Deloitte - from journalists to augmented-reality specialists, from Pride parade attendees to colleagues around the firm. They also attracted the attention of the creative industry, winning Best Print at The Drum Awards for B2B 2024.
A year later and the power of this humble set of postcards lives on. As well as being reproduced in multiple reprints, the designs have also evolved into patterned socks and supersized placards. The postcards have featured in LGBTQ+ Pride and student Pride events across the UK, with celebrations culminating at London Pride, where approximately 32,000 people celebrated the diversity and joy within the community.
We hope that this is only the beginning of the story when it comes to these postcards. The start of a chain that celebrates joy within the LGBTQ+ community, provides hope and support in the face of its challenges and allows more people to feel seen. They’re a powerful reminder of how making the time and space to hear diverse stories can spark inspiration, create a more inclusive world and encourage people to share their whole self at work.
