Your Vote Matters
Creative Choices and Strategies Explained
For this assignment, I chose to make a propaganda poster to go along with the DoSomething.org campaign, “Register to Vote”. I chose this channel of communication to portray propaganda because I have experience in graphic design and was confident that I would be able to produce a quality example of propaganda. My strategy to complete this poster was to first read through all of the details of the campaign and take notes on the key messages and goals it had. I then began to sort through those notes and came up with the best and most attractive wording to use on the poster in hopes of garnering the utmost attention. My creative strategy included using a large font for the key message, using bright primary colors to grab attention and featuring graphic elements that were enticing in some way. The red and the blue color I used have the exact hex codes as the official colors of the USA. I felt like this was a very strategic design element because I really wanted the viewers of this poster to see how patriotic it is for someone to register and get out there and vote. Reflecting our nation’s colors on the poster helped me achieve that patriotic connection. I also went a step further and added in graphics that portray a positive message. The graphic in the top right corner features three happy people that are excited to vote and act on their civic duty. I used this graphic because I hoped that the viewer will be able to receive some of that positive energy these three people in the graphic are trying to radiate. I also specifically chose that ballot box as a graphic because it has a smile. I really wanted to create an echo chamber of positivity for anyone who sees this poster. My thought was that if people feel positive about this poster, they will feel positive about voting.
Knowledge of Propaganda Application
When applying what I have learned about propaganda thus far, I decided to mainly focus on the four keys of propaganda among some other elements of propaganda as well. I felt that this campaign, and my propaganda poster I generated for it in specific, harps on three of the four keys, making it an extremely influential piece of propaganda. Only leaving out the ‘attack opponents’ key (but even that I could make an argument for, just not a super strong one so I decided to not include it). For one, this poster activates strong emotions, the first of the four keys. This poster makes it clear that if the viewer wants to see change, they need to act and be a part of the change. This can trigger emotions all over the board — from fear of things not changing to the feeling of belonging due to becoming a part of something bigger. Although there isn’t an emotional image as you would normally expect when referring to this key, I feel like the words and the messaging exploit the viewer’s emotions just the same. The second key would be responding to the audience’s needs. This poster incorporates this key by honing in on the fact that if the viewer wants and needs a change, here is a way to start making that change. Solving a pain for your audience is a great persuasive tool because who doesn’t want their problems solved? The third and most prominent key displayed in this poster would be simplifying information. I have completed my minor in political science and have a good understanding of how the voting process works and how some votes are just simply more powerful or weaker depending on your geographic location in the US (or whatever state you are registered in). I made it clear on the poster by using phrases like “we need you…” that the viewer’s vote mattered and that their singular vote will be a part of a change. Even on the campaign website there is a FAQ section and one of the questions is “Does my vote actually matter?” and the answer provided is “Yes, it definitely does!” and then that was followed up with stats from a recent close election that was decided by a handful of votes — a pretty rare occurrence when compared to typical election results. In situations like the example they provided, yes your vote definitely matters. But if you are in a red state who has never had an elected representative that was a democrat, chances are your blue vote doesn’t matter at all and vice versa. I think it is important to recognize that ‘your vote always matters’ is a blanket statement that can’t be applied to everyone in the US. I do think that voting is important and that people should vote no matter what because it is our civic duty to do so, however, I think the information was more than simplified on both my poster and the actual campaign website just based on my previous knowledge about the voting process in the US.
My Experience
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. I find it really beneficial when I am able to apply what I am learning about to the real world and this was a great opportunity to do that. I also really enjoyed being able to be creative. Having the option to choose what form of propaganda I want to create was really fun as I got to be creative in my own way rather than having to do exactly what I was told. I also liked that there was a website to choose a campaign from rather than just being all over the place and having to choose one out of thin air. By having a list of options, it allowed me to quickly weigh my options and get started with the project as opposed to having to dig in and do external research. I also enjoyed having able to use multiple resources in order to complete this assignment. Instead of your typical Google doc to PDF passing in the process, using a site like Medium allowed me to gain a new experience of posting my work online for others to see and experience.
References
Presidential Election Process. (n.d.). USA.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from https://www.usa.gov/election
Register to Vote. (2022). DoSomething.org. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from https://www.dosomething.org/us/vote
RobbGrieco, M. (2023). Propaganda. Pathwright. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from https://propaganda.pathwright.com/library/propaganda-61105/459571/path/?path_id=5688893
