In every election year since 2004, AIGA has conducted a “Get Out the Vote” poster campaign. The campaign solicits designs from AIGA members for posters urging citizens to vote. The posters are then made available to the public for free download and printing under a Creative Commons license. None of the submissions reference a political party or candidate, and AIGA’s submission guidelines stipulate that the posters must be non-partisan. In a fraught election year characterized by negative campaign messages, the belief in “the power of design to motivate the American public to register and turn out to vote” is heartening.

The submitted posters cover a wide range of messages, styles, and imagery. Several designers equated non-voters with sheep, while others illustrated American theater critic George Jean Nathan’s quote, “Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” While the designs adhere to AIGA’s non-partisan standard, some recurring themes do reference this year’s election campaigns. A number of the designs mention women’s suffrage, or the 96th anniversary of women’s right to vote — no doubt inspired by the first woman nominee of a major political party. Other posters play off reports of the increase in Americans Googling “move to Canada” after Trump won the Republican nomination. A number of design luminaries, such as Milton Glaser and Debbie Millman, have contributed their own creations.

The “Get Out the Vote” campaign is conducted by AIGA in partnership with the League of Women Voters. The project falls under AIGA’s Design for Democracy initiative, which strives to use design tools to make interactions between government and citizens more transparent and trustworthy. AIGA designers are invited to submit designs through November 8, and a curated exhibit of the posters will be presented during AIGA’s annual conference this October. Members of the public are encouraged to download, print, and display the posters.

At top of page: Poster designs by AIGA members Ozan Karakoc, Ann Willoughby, and Christine Sheller.