AIGA Get Out the Vote 2016

A collection of posters by AIGA leaders across the U.S. representing Get Out the Vote 2016, the latest campaign of AIGA Design for Democracy. Learn more and download your favorite posters at AIGA.org/vote.

Nearly 30% of the US population will be Latino by the year 2050, yet, only 48% of Latinos eligible to vote turned out on election day in 2012. The policies under discussion during this election make it imperative that this year they take a more active role in the democratic process that will shape the future of their community and of the country at large.

I invited Mr. Edward James Olmos to provide his iconic image as a trusted leader in the Latino community to urge people to register and vote. Mr. Olmos’ decisive facial expression is intended to reflect the message: “this year your vote is a serious matter—register to vote!”

—Agustín Garza, AIGA National Board

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, we’re being driven apart, rather than pulled together. Organized into voting blocks and statistics that drive talking points and sound bites. There’s an agenda behind everything, and we fall for it because it’s what we want to hear. Then we repeat it with vigor and conviction. Of course, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about those other people. You’re too smart for that, and are also good looking.

—Brian Singer, AIGA National Board

This concept presents one form of a metaphorical, ever-changing book chronicling the past, present, and future of the great democratic nation of the United States of America. The term of our 44th president is coming to a close, so the 2016 election represents our opportunity to “write the next chapter” with our vote. Through our vote, we literally have the power to create the future of our nation.

—Drew Davies & Oxide Design Co., Design Director, AIGA Design for Democracy and former Co-President, AIGA National Board

Designed in Chinese using Kanji ideograms, this poster is intended to help close that gap. The design is targeted at voters who read Chinese, but also to teach non-readers the characters for “vote.” It was designed by three immigrant and first generation Chinese-Americans employed at Jackson Fish Market. The studio is housed in the former Immigration and Naturalization Service headquarters where throughout the twentieth century, Chinese-Americans entered the United States, Chinese-Americans were naturalized as American citizens, and some Chinese-Americans were held as detainees under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

—Jackson Fish Market (submitted by Jenny Lam, AIGA National Board)

“…and her name Mother of Exiles.” —Emma Lazarus The New Colossus (inscribed on The Statue of Liberty)

This image celebrates a nation of immigrants—and the imperative for each citizen, native born or naturalized, to cast their ballot and share their unique voice.

“Vote” is featured on the poster in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish, all options for the audio tour at the Statue of Liberty. Recent census data notes more than 40 languages in active use across the United States of America.

We asked colleagues and acquaintances, friends and family to provide the translations. That interaction made the act of design an homage to our civic ideals and multi-cultural identity.

—Jennifer and Ken Visocky O’Grady, AIGA National Board

CMYK color processing combines 4 colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) in various formations that blend into any color we can imagine. There is an inherent metaphor in our election and voting process. When all our ideals, cultures, and beliefs come together they blend into one. It's interesting to see all the colors come together, and if we look really hard we can see that our vote is never lost. We can count it and count on it. This is the color of our democracy.

—Jill Spaeth, AIGA National Board

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” —Abraham Lincoln

Every person we elect to lead our nation remains in our collective memory forever (whether positively or negatively). For this poster, I wanted to highlight the names of past presidents and since we've got some big names for this year's election, I thought it's worth considering which names would be potentially added to the list in the future (for better or worse). As we gear up for another election, I hope we keep in mind that we have a choice to make in the current moment that will affect our future and will remain in our collective history forever.

—Justin Ahrens & Rule 29, AIGA National Board

In order for us to be a true Democracy the government must be “of the people, by the people, for the people," as President Lincoln once said. But in practice that is not how it works when people don’t express themselves through the one power democracy gives them—the VOTE. Instead of expressing their views at the polls, supporting candidates that represent their values and needs, too many citizens crowd together like sheep without a shepherd and bleat pointlessly—“there’s nothing we can do.”

—Karen Kurycki, AIGA Get Out the Vote Committee and former President, AIGA Jacksonville

I collect all kinds of objects, ideas, and arcane bits of information. In this poster, I hope to inspire folks to vote by sharing some things I find awesome about our country from the perspective of an immigrant who wasn’t born with the right to vote. In this poster, I offer up my appreciation of American landscapes as discovered through my collection of 1960s Paint By Numbers, my love of American folk music and the rich culture of taking pride in our work and land as expressed by Woody Guthrie, and the immense opportunity I see embedded in the consequential act of voting for our beliefs. We live in a country rich with influence—indeed, who we are is predicated on our commitment to look, reflect, evolve, and voice our convictions. And, I believe the most influential tool at our disposal is the vote. Use it freely.

—Rich Hollant, AIGA National Board