Pride is alive

Pride Month is about celebrating the lives, hopes, and dreams of the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s about the beauty and protection of our family and friends. It’s about respect, dignity, and an incredible legacy.

This year, when we talked about how we wanted to recognize Pride at Microsoft, we asked a simple question: How can the power of Pride shine outside the limits of a single month? The answer was to celebrate the enduring lives of the LGBTQIA+ community. That led us to Pride is alive.

Everyday acts of Pride

For many people, Pride is alive because it’s who they are, it’s what they live. Aleksey — a Microsoft employee, who has helped shape the company’s Pride work both through marketing and the company’s employee resource group (ERG), GLEAM — explains, “This year’s theme is about small acts of living having cascading effects.”

Maybe you decide to wear a Pride pin, put a flag on your house, or volunteer for your local community. Together, these small moments help people realize the sum of their parts, making them feel seen, welcomed, and safe.

Inspired by stories of courage and connection

This year’s Pride campaign draws inspiration from LGBTQIA+’s culture and history.

In one early planning meeting, Sven, the General Manager of Microsoft’s brand organization, looked to the 1980s and Katharine Hamnett’s “Choose Life” shirts, reflecting on how visibility can help people feel empowered and represented.

We also looked at how stories about regular people can encourage people to recognize that their voices matter, and that they have the power to change the world. Throughout history, small acts of living from past generations have helped create a safer world for future communities. They leave evidence behind for others to improve and build upon.

Bold by design

Koto, the campaign’s London-based design partner, studied decades of LGBTQIA+ visual culture, from handmade 1970s signs and 1980s designs to 1990s subcultures and beyond.

The work resulted in an all-caps adaptation of Segoe, a bold Microsoft typeface , designed to be read quickly, and understood from a distance. Dylan, Senior Type Designer at Koto, describes the goal as creating a typeface with “confidence.” Creative Director, Sam, emphasized the need to balance solidarity and openness.

The typeface is also a nod to Microsoft’s history of recognizing Pride since 1989. We’ve evolved over time, from employee-led efforts to designing Pride backgrounds, wallpapers, and the 2022 Xbox Pride controller. What started off as a piece of concept art for the Pride campaign became a real product driven by community and customer demand.

Building meaningful support and connection

At Microsoft, we understand the weight and importance of what Pride means to the billions of people who use our products. We know different experiences and perspectives help strengthen ideas, challenge assumptions, and drive better outcomes. As technology continues to reshape how we work and live, human dynamics will continue to be an integral part of how we exist together as a society. Progress depends not only on what we build, but on our willingness to learn from one another, and to make room for perspectives that are different from our own.

Pride Is Alive is rooted in a simple idea: meaningful culture is built through everyday actions. In the many small moments where people choose respect, curiosity, empathy, and courage, we create stronger teams, stronger communities, and greater opportunities for everyone.

Explore the campaign at aka.ms/pride