Cody Solberg: ‘As-Built’ Pride’s Design

August 25, 2023 | Blog.015

Last month, Pride by Design connected with Cody Solberg when AIA National reshared his design for AIA Richmond’s Young Architects Forum “As-Built” Pride Happy Hour. We reached out, loving the design and wanting to know more about it! We are so grateful for Cody taking a few minutes to share the inspiration and message behind this design. Read more below..!

My name is Cody Solberg, and I am an architect in Richmond, Virginia. I currently work for Marvel Designs in the Richmond office. In addition to my work at Marvel, I am a member of Richmond’s American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors and serve as a committee member on AIA Richmond’s Young Architect Forum (YAF).

For this year’s pride, I worked alongside my LGBTQIA+ colleagues in YAF to design a shirt for our annual ‘As-Built’ Pride Happy Hour. I’ve always enjoyed graphic design as an additional creative outlet alongside my day-to-day architecture tasks. The inspiration for this design stemmed from M.C. Escher, abstracted through the lens of connectedness, inclusivity and the celebration of the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

This design honors our transgender and gender non-conforming women of color who were at the forefront of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement in the U.S. These individuals are the central figures of this graphic, forming the abstract ‘Y’. The remaining colors weave themselves together, reinforcing that we are all in this on-going fight for equality, together. 

We must continue to fight against discrimination of the LGBTQIA+ community, ensure that everyone has an equal chance to thrive, and celebrate diverse voices and perspectives.