\Case Study

Old Strathcona Queer History Walking Tour Map

Edmonton Queer History Project

In 2025, the Edmonton Queer History Project (EQHP), a group of researchers dedicated to recording and sharing the untold stories of the city’s queer history, launched a walking tour of Old Strathcona, a central Edmonton neighbourhood. 

EQHP is a group of researchers dedicated to recording and sharing the untold studies of the city’s queer history. Their goal was to raise awareness of the stories that their research uncovered—and share the long history of queer people and organizations centred in the neighbourhood. 

At Adverb, we know that great stories can change the world. And we jumped at the opportunity to share these ones. We partnered with EQHP on a pro-bono basis to design a printed tour map that facilitated beautiful moments of discovery and inspired curiosity. The map was intended to both support scheduled walking tours hosted by EQHP—but also to stand alone as a print piece that raised awareness. 

Our design is focused on reframing familiar local landmarks around their largely-unknown queer history. A well-known gazebo was the starting point of the city’s first-ever pride parade in 1982. A brick armoury housed a shelter for queer youth experiencing houselessness. A long-ago-repurposed storefront housed the city’s dedicated women’s bookstore. 

The stories shared in this map revealed an insight that became the title of the map: Old Strathcona has always been queer. 

Our map was distributed to nearby businesses, often within eyesight of the landmarks we chose to highlight. A simple glance at the map is enough to inspire curiosity. And a deep dive reveals a new understanding of the neighbourhood’s queer history. 

A map can be shared with friends, it can be opened up and spread across the table while you read inspiring stories, or it can be folded up and taken with you, becoming an artifact of that perfect June afternoon, touring the queer history of Old Strathcona. Our map is designed to bring people together, to empower people to take a self-guided walking tour, and to learn a bit more about Edmonton’s queer history.

The map was paired with a poster campaign for the neighbourhood, furthering the projects’ reach. 

Link to blog article that speaks to the project/award

Link to the next case study

CTA: Request a Proposal  (form is on the page itself)