Name/Title
(1994) Benetton, Colors Magazine No. 7 (AIDS Issue), Ronald Reagan Cover Poster, designed by Site One, ItalyDescription
Benetton, Colors Magazine No. 7 (AIDS Issue), 1994
Poster advertising the Italian publication Colors
Design: Site One
Country: Italy
Offset print, approx. 41 × 28 in. (104 × 71 cm)
This poster reproduces the cover of Issue No. 7 of Colors, the internationally distributed magazine produced by Benetton and known for its visually provocative engagement with global social issues. Designed by Site One in 1994, the cover depicts former U.S. President Ronald Reagan with digitally superimposed Kaposi’s sarcoma–like lesions, visually referencing one of the most recognizable early manifestations of AIDS.
Produced during the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic, the image functions as political and cultural critique. By representing a prominent political leader as marked by the disease, the designers challenged the U.S. government’s delayed and limited response to the crisis during the 1980s. The work collapses symbolic distance between state power and communities most affected by HIV/AIDS, including gay men, people who use drugs, sex workers, and communities of color.
The poster reflects a broader visual strategy common in AIDS-era activism and media interventions: the use of appropriation, visual shock, and role reversal to demand public accountability and confront stigma. It is preserved here as part of the historical record of AIDS-era visual culture and transnational political commentary.Create Date
July 29, 2025Update Date
October 15, 2026