Zipeng Zhu's iconic type in a rainbow explosion for Harry's new shaving kit for Pride 2021

Harry's has always been a passionate advocate for the LGBT+ community, raising hundreds of thousands for relevant charities. For every set sold in this latest edition, Harry's will donate 100% of profits from the Shave With Pride set to The Trevor Project in the US and £10 from every purchased set and razor to The Albert Kennedy Trust in the UK.

It features a limited-edition Harry's razor with a unique, iridescent, rainbowed finish, "designed to be a true positive reflection of Pride". While the packaging features Zipeng's bold type illustrations mixed with vibrant colours, inspired by his "long-standing passion for creativity without limitations, the power of simplicity, and an innate curiosity about the world and the people in it".

On the collaboration, Zipeng says, "Right now, it is important for me to create work that delivers a message that both uplifts and provokes some thought. For the campaign, I am a literal person; when I see something, I try to find the most straightforward way to express the idea. When Harry's presented me with the concept of Prouder Than Ever, I was immediately inspired by the loud and proud attitude, something by which I live. We started with the signature, limited edition box and approached the design with the idea of celebrating the uniqueness of every single member of the LGBT+ community."

To achieve this, Zipeng used typography only with each letter a unique weight, width and slant, coming together in different phrases and words like 'unity', 'love', and others that represent our community. "I was happy that we quickly agreed on the typographic route," says Zipeng. "But then the mission was to find the right type. It took a week of me going through every single, variable font in the world and typing 'prouder than ever' to see how I could play with it. What I landed on was a type that could flex in a lot of different ways, finding the balance of the surprise and speaking to the energy and motion of the community."

And because the yellow razor is the main feature this year, Zipeng says he "did not want to do a pure yellow interior. I wanted to create an unboxing experience that challenges people's expectations but is still cohesive. I created a geometric, dazzling pattern that shared the same line weight as the exterior but without any typography."

In addition to the limited edition box set, Zipeng designed a line of merchandise as an extension of the concept and campaign. It includes two custom hats, a cute tote, a mug, an adorable fanny pack (that's 'bum bag' to us Brits), and some stickers – and every single one is uniquely designed to the items.

Zipeng adds: "As an artist, I create things that are meaningful, impactful, and that generate the right energy for the right situation. As a queer Asian man, I feel we are extremely underrepresented in the community. I am also an immigrant and freedom of speech is something that I latch onto – I am a visual communicator. This project is not only a chance to show people what I've got but also a way to raise awareness for other minority voices, especially after a difficult year."

A special website will launch on 1 June 2021 and follows Harry's microsite Design With Pride 2020, which celebrated the creative talents of the community through a digital art gallery created in collaboration with Spanish illustrator José Roda. You can purchase a set from today at Harrys.com.