Biden for President
Campaign
Biden for President needed some creative strategies to get as many voters as possible to show up for the 2020 election, focusing especially on swing states. Their mission was to combat voter suppression, engage apathetic voters, and educate the public on proper voting procedures, all with the ultimate goal of securing a Democratic victory for the 2020 election. Our task was to address the emotional and logistical barriers that discourage people from voting, aiming to significantly increase voter turnout compared to previous elections.
Client
My role as Senior Art Director was to work on campaign development, design executions, problem solving, and concepting in the days before the 2020 election. On this project we were racing the clock to get our work produced by Tuesday November 3rd and it required round-the-clock creative development. I would be briefed at 5pm with what the day team had created, and I would be passed the baton to keep the work going until 2am. My work would then be handed off to the day team at 9am.
My Role
✦ Moodboards
✦ Ideation
✦ Concepts
✦ Illustration
✦ Storyboards
✦ File output
I worked on
Team
Agency: Barbarian
Executive Creative Director: Resh Sidhu
Creative Director: Carla del Porto
Design Director: Peter Chlebak
Associate Creative Director: Brent Weldon
Senior Designer: Judy Su
Senior Animator: Juan Mont
Art Director: Angel Ang
research
““more than two-thirds of U.S. adults (68%) say that the 2020 U.S. presidential election is a significant source of stress in their life, a large increase from the 2016 presidential election””
"I feel like my voice doesn't matter. People who suck still are in office, so it doesn't make a difference."
— Megan Davis. The 31-year-old massage therapist in Rhode Island
“Things in our lives are so distracting. I think I really should vote, but it takes a lot of homework, I think.”
— Female non-voter, Minneapolis
"Lack of interest, uneducated. The times that I’ve spent to get a little bit more educated, all the options suck. I don’t feel like one is great so I’m not going to vote at all.”
— Female non-voter, Milwaukee
“Voting is very hard to prioritize. If I need to feed my kids or if I need to vote, I’m feeding my kids.”
— Female non-voter, Minneapolis
"What good does it do, though, when they'll promise you anything and then it's a lie,"
— Tammy Lester, a 42-year-old fast food worker in McDowell County, W.Va.,
Phase 1 + 2
Knowing that we had to solve for people’s emotional reasons for not voting and also their logistical challenges, we decided to break the work into two phases.
1) Produce assets that address the emotional reasons for not voting first, hoping to convert some of the apathetic Millenials/Gen X into voters.
2) In the days approaching November 3rd we would increase the logistical messaging to make sure that lifelong voters and new voters all had the correct information to cast their vote as it pertained to each state’s rules.
1
Phase 1
emotional
October 1 - October 15
2
Phase 2
logistical
October 16- November3
Phase 1
Phase 1
We paired an upbeat percussion track with animated quotes from notable leaders in the Democratic party to stir up excitement to participate in the election. This work was targeted at people feeling like voting doesn’t matter.
‘Quotes For Votes’
We went for more of a vintage hippie look to pair with the message that you should vote with the insight that performing your civic duty makes you feel good.
‘Voting Makes You Feel Good’
We created a video for one of the largest billboards in America, located on the iconic Las Vegas Strip. The concept was designed to capture attention by simulating a screen malfunction, paired with a bold message: America is overdue for an update that we can’t put off any longer. This ad was aimed at apathetic voters who feel their vote is pointless and doesn’t make a difference.
“Break the Screen”
Phase 2
Phase 2
In this phase, we removed all persuasion tactics and focused on providing straightforward, step-by-step instructions on how to vote. A key challenge was ensuring the content could be easily adapted for different regions, so we worked quickly in the final weeks before November 3rd to create materials that could be customized to meet the specific voting rules of each swing state.
Drawing inspiration from the style of Schoolhouse Rock, we created an animated ballot to clearly explain the detailed process of filling out and submitting a mail-in ballot according to the rules in each swing state. Our goal was to evoke nostalgia with a charming character that stood apart from the typical voting ads seen before the election. To bring the project to life, we enlisted well-known Democratic TV personalities Margaret Cho and Andy Cohen as narrators.
‘Votey McVoterson’
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We used simple typographic design to create easy-to-follow 'how to' guides for voting. By developing a consistent visual style and set of design principles for the videos, we were able to quickly customize storyboards with specific information for each region, accommodating the unique requirements of every state.
‘Typographic How-To’s’
We were tasked with creating a Lyric video animation to accompany a radio spot recorded by Leslie Odom Jr. We used a combination of type treatments and dancing ballots to visually explain the complicated secrecy envelope used by some states like Pennsylvania.
‘Sign Sealed Delivered’
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We designed custom illustrations featuring landmarks from each state under a rising sun, symbolizing the importance of early voting. These designs were adapted for a wide range of formats, including outdoor billboards, display ads, grocery point-of-sale, and even a bus wrap.
‘Sunrise Landmark’ Illustrations
For the final push in the days leading up to the election, we developed a dynamic billboard that counted down the time remaining to vote in key regions, encouraging last-minute voters to show up in person on November 3.
‘The Final Countdown’
Results
Results
160,000,000 Americans Voted
(highest voter turnout since 1908 and highest youth voters in history)
✦ 100,000,000 Early Votes Casted
✦ 4 out of 6 Targeted Swing States Voted Blue
✦ 46% of Americans Voted Early by Mail
✦ Biden Harris won the 2020 Presidential election
Every presidential campaign involves thousands of people working tirelessly behind the scenes to influence the outcome. Though my role was small, it was so rewarding to know that my efforts contributed, even in a modest way, to achieving a democratic victory.