This poster was designed in collaboration with two fellow interns at ISU’s Design Streak Studio for the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program’s 27th Annual Student Research Symposium. The abstract form that takes place in the background of the poster represents the ocean. The ocean is vast, ever changing, full of depth, and is fluid, much like gender and sexuality. Layered throughout the composition are photographs of watercolor violets and torn up pieces of plastic. Violets have been linked to lesbian love since as early as the 6th century and symbolize dignity and empowerment against oppression. The images of plastic are layered on top of the violets, representing the idea of women historically being seen as objects, or commodities. The plastic being shredded into pieces, expresses the act of challenging societal norms pertaining to the treatment of women, gender, and sexuality. Shades of violet and purple are used throughout the poster. Purple is comprised of both red and blue, and we wanted to use this to represent the converging points on the often-polarized gender spectrum. Pink was used sparingly on the poster to challenge the negative stereotypes associated with femininity, while still acknowledging their existence.