Skittles Commissions LGBTQ+ Artists To Design Its Pride Packaging For 2022

By Mikelle Leow, 10 May 2022

Pride Month is just weeks away, and you can almost taste it—the rainbow, that is. As an annual tradition, Skittles rolls out special packaging with subdued designs during this time of year in support of LGBTQ+ acceptance.

Normally, Skittles’ Pride wrappers are all-gray, and you might wonder why this is so. Why couldn’t the brand leave the rainbow behind? Why couldn’t it have more pops of rainbow hues? That’s because, each June, the brand gives up its colors for the rainbow Pride flag. Further, as Skittles explains, the gray signifies “the brand’s cemented efforts of support.”

Surprisingly, this year’s packaging has a little more vibrancy, as Skittles is allowing “a splash of color” for a snapshot of how LGBTQ+ individuals “see the rainbow.” To create the wrappers, Skittles enlisted six artists from the Pride community to depict what the rainbow means to them.

2022’s edition brings five Pride-themed designs by Chi Nwosu, Meg Lee, Mia Saine, Ash + Chess, and Kah Yangni. As usual, the special-edition packs are being launched in conjunction with GLAAD, a nonprofit promoting positive representation for the community in the media.

Representation is right. Each design is printed with a QR code that, when scanned, directs customers to a virtual studio introducing the collaborators and their work.

The Pride packs will be available in 4oz and 15.6oz sharing sizes at select retailers across the country through June. For each purchase of a special-edition pack, Skittles will donate US$1, or up to US$100,000, to support GLAAD’s work in ending LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Artwork by Chi Nwosu. Image via Skittles