Branding and Visual System
The Blackening
The Brief
Insight
Objective:
The Blackening did not need an identity that represented one version of Black queer experience. It needed a system that could hold many at once. Built from community research, the brand needed to feel collective, forward-thinking and full of movement: a visual language for joy, belonging and unapologetic presence.
To create a complete visual identity and brand system for The Blackening, a community created for Black queer men to show up fully, freely and without compromise.
The challenge was to build something expressive, credible and usable: an identity that could hold joy, safety, pride, growth and cultural specificity while giving the founder and wider community a clear system to apply across social, communications, marketing and future merchandise.
I created the full brand identity and visual system for The Blackening, originating the positioning, visual direction, logo, typography, colour palette, social identity graphics, art direction and brand guidelines in collaboration with the founder. The system was built from community research and member input, translating the diversity and forward-thinking energy of The Blackening into a usable identity designed for social, marketing, merchandise and future brand applications.
Created by: André Harris, Jr.
Role & Credits
I created the full brand identity and visual system for The Blackening, originating the positioning, visual direction, logo, typography, colour palette, social identity graphics, art direction and brand guidelines in collaboration with the founder. The system was built from community research and member input, translating the diversity and forward-thinking energy of The Blackening into a usable identity designed for social, marketing, merchandise and future brand applications.
Created by: André Harris, Jr.
Branding and Visual System
The Blackening
The Blackening did not need an identity that represented one version of Black queer experience. It needed a system that could hold many at once. Built from community research, the brand needed to feel collective, forward-thinking and full of movement: a visual language for joy, belonging and unapologetic presence.
Live it. Own it. Be it. Love it.
André Harris, Jr. // AH Design, Intl. 2024
Live it. Own it. Be it. Love it.
André Harris, Jr. Creative | AH Design, Intl. 2026
The Blackening did not need an identity that represented one version of Black queer experience. It needed a system that could hold many at once. Built from community research, the brand needed to feel collective, forward-thinking and full of movement: a visual language for joy, belonging and unapologetic presence.
Branding and Visual System
The Blackening
The Brief:
To create a complete visual identity and brand system for The Blackening, a community created for Black queer men to show up fully, freely and without compromise.
The challenge was to build something expressive, credible and usable: an identity that could hold joy, safety, pride, growth and cultural specificity while giving the founder and wider community a clear system to apply across social, communications, marketing and future merchandise.
Insight:
The Blackening did not need an identity that represented one version of Black queer experience. It needed a system that could hold many at once. Built from community research, the brand needed to feel collective, forward-thinking and full of movement: a visual language for joy, belonging and unapologetic presence.
Role & Credits:
I created the full brand identity and visual system for The Blackening, originating the positioning, visual direction, logo, typography, colour palette, social identity graphics, art direction and brand guidelines in collaboration with the founder. The system was built from community research and member input, translating the diversity and forward-thinking energy of The Blackening into a usable identity designed for social, marketing, merchandise and future brand applications.
Created by: André Harris, Jr.