PANTONE Reimagines Rainbow Flag To Evade Censorship At Qatar World Cup
Image via Stop Homophobie
Qatar’s dreams of being associated with sportsmanship and cheer have been undermined by its inner turmoil. As the host nation of the 2022 World Cup, what it did, inadvertently, was set up a world stage to expose human rights issues that have been bubbling within.
Among the problems being flagged up is the country’s criminalization of same-sex relationships. While FIFA and Qatar have reassured visitors that the rainbow flag is welcome at the event, this was contradicted when members and fans of the Football Association of Wales had their rainbow bucket hats confiscated by security before they were allowed to enter the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday. According to a report by the Guardian, one US fan was also confronted for carrying a rainbow flag on the subway.
PANTONE is using its position as the generally-recognized color authority to throw support behind the LGBTQ+ community. It has redesigned the iconic Pride flag so World Cup participants and sporting fans can wave it proudly, without worry of getting in trouble with the authorities.
Para que esta bandera flamee en Qatar pese a las restricciones, Pantone y la organización Stop Homophobia crearon esta otra. Maravilloso. pic.twitter.com/hi20JJuVHj
— Roberto Patxot (@robertopatxot) November 11, 2022
The new ‘Colors of Love’ flag, created by advertising agency TBWA\Paris with France’s STOP HOMOPHOBIE (Stop Homophobia) organization, replaces the rainbow hues of Gilbert Baker’s activism symbol with their actual PANTONE color codes, re-emphasizing their role as the colors of love.
From afar, the pared-back “rainbow” flag looks like a white flag with black stripes—though, as one person on LinkedIn points out, the design resembles the flag of surrender and could, therefore, be perceived as a motif for defeat.
To paint a more vibrant picture of their stance, PANTONE and TBWA\Paris have dreamed up minimalist soccer uniforms with the same monochromatic look. This way, players may be able to wear their support on their sleeves on the field.
Guys, we've made one for you, if it could help...
— TBWA\PARIS (@TBWA_PARIS) November 21, 2022
#ColorsOfLove #StopHomophobie #Pantone@Manuel_Neuer @HKane @LlorisHOfficiel@EdenHazard @GranilXhaka @FFF @DFB_Team@ASFoot_ @pantone @stop_homophobie pic.twitter.com/lMgNTwGtCu
A new interactive #ColorsOfLove filter for TikTok and Instagram superimposes the original rainbow flag onto users’ faces, though fans who wish to protest more discreetly can touch their faces for the symbol to transform into the ‘Colors of Love’ version.
#ColorsOfLove Nous avons imaginé des filtres sur @instagram et @tiktok_France que vous pouvez utiliser pour défendre nos couleurs, avant, pendant, après ou entre les matches 🌈 #QatarWorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/HFrmrtvkg3
— STOP HOMOPHOBIE (@stop_homophobie) November 22, 2022
[via PANTONE and TBWA\Paris, images via various sources]
