Let me just say, quite to my surprise, I really enjoyed the AIGA Get Out The Vote poster assignment. The assignment was based upon the AIGA call for posters promoting voting for the 2012 presidential election; our professor required us to design two non-partisan posters persuading people to vote. I am very please with how both of my designs turned out; I do not have an extensive background in illustration when it comes to my design projects, which was a bit intimidating since I believed illustration was the best approach for how to execute the design. I went outside of my comfort zone to really push my design concept for the assignment by using illustration, and I believe it really paid off trying something new.
I based my first poster's design on the origins of voting in American history; the founders of the Constitution believed in the power of the voice of the individual, and they believed that man could take control of his own life during his pursuit for happiness. The founders knew first-hand of the oppression that came with the rule of kings and dictators, and they wanted to ensure that no man would live in America subjected to another man's will. When people refuse to vote, they surrender themselves to the will of politicians and silence their voices on issues that profoundly effect their lives. My first poster encourages people to think for themselves on these issues because when man refuses to use his mind, he renders himself vulnerable to deceit and control. America is the great country it is today because of "We the People", and I believe the day that "We the People" no longer feel the need to vote is the day that democracy finds itself in jeopardy. I think the puppet metaphor can be easily understood to convey all of these ideas; puppets do not move without the hand of a puppet-master wielding them, and the only way to be truly free of the puppetmaster is to cut the strings binding the two together. Politicians continually prove themselves to be erroneous, and it is our job as "We the People" to hold them accountable for actions we find distasteful. Subtly, the backwards American flag embodies the idea of being politically proactive. The backwards flag originates from the Revolutionary War era when in combat, a flag bearer would run with the flag in the direction of battle; when the Americans advanced upon an enemy, the flag would wave behind the bearer--backwards. The backwards flag is a sign of bravery and symbolizes the idea of never retreating and can be seen present day on military uniforms in the form of a patch. I hope to use this imagery to convey the idea that we will be brave and stand up for our freedoms, and that we will not retreat in the face of those who threaten them. As a final note, the colors are subtle hues of red and blue; the blue of the suit has the opacity turned down just slightly to give the piece a monochromatic feel. I believe the more illustrative colors give the poster a humanitarian feel that could not be conveyed with floods of harsh reds and blues associated with corporation and consumerism. The typeface was also chosen to reinforce the humanitarian feel by matching the lines of the illustration and color pallet.
For my second poster, I wanted to represent the connections that are made during the election process. Republicans and Democrats both agree that voting is an important part of American political culture. Although partisan individuals may not vote for the same candidate, our nation depends on the meshing of different political philosophies; if Americans were not able to have differing opinions, our culture would take on a drastically different form--one that could even resemble the oppressive, militant dictatorship of North Korea where people are thrown in work camps and punished for individuality. I wanted to convey the various different parts that make up the whole of our nation, and I wanted to show that we work and function together in unity. I believe people get discouraged with voting for one reason or the other--maybe they feel as if their vote does not make a difference, but in my poster I hope to inspire people to vote because without even one eligible individual, a plug may not be able to reach an outlet or there may be no outlet to plug into. Also, the idea of "plugging into politics" calls on people to begin paying attention to politics if they are not already involved.