Issue 23: It's Time to Vote
On high stakes, good plans and playing the long game.
🗳 Eyes on the Prize
I know what you’re thinking: “Gabrielle, isn’t the election in 8 days? Wouldn’t this have been a perfect theme for next week, the literal day before Election Day?” and the answer is NO. Not only is voting well and truly under way in most parts of the US, but the work that goes into a successful election, like the work that makes successful design, happens well before launch day. Now is the only time to talk about it – indeed, the best time probably would have been months ago. But we’re here today, and as with all things, electoral or otherwise, there’s no better time to start than now.
I know what you’re thinking: “Gabrielle, isn’t the election in 8 days? Wouldn’t this have been a perfect theme for next week, the literal day before Election Day?” and the answer is NO. Not only is voting well and truly under way in most parts of the US, but the work that goes into a successful election, like the work that makes successful design, happens well before launch day. Now is the only time to talk about it – indeed, the best time probably would have been months ago. But we’re here today, and as with all things, electoral or otherwise, there’s no better time to start than now.
Much like design, voting does not happen in a vacuum — nor does it work in one. One of the first things you learn as a designer is that every decision you make has long term consequences and requires careful planning. Your design exists in the context of all in which you live and what came before you, and if you approach it flippantly, or rush the process in any way, you risk undermining it entirely. This is why we start planning Halloween creative in June. When we don’t give ourselves the time and space to consider the significance of the individual actions we take, and how exactly we will implement them, we find ourselves forced to make snap decisions that can’t meaningfully be undone, or we end up missing opportunities to set ourselves up for success.
More significantly, no action we take works in isolation. Design is only effective when each piece is viewed as part of a larger strategy. Every piece of design does matter. But what matters most is keeping our eyes on the overall goal — how does any piece of creative relate back to our mission, and how does it further our overall strategy. A design only works if it’s consistent with everything else we create. Likewise, the votes we cast work only as part of a larger strategy to create the world as it should be.
That’s why this week, we’re looking at design through the art of voting. We’re researching our ballots, making plans to vote, taking action, and getting empowered. Read on for all this and more!
I think you all well and truly know what you subscribed to here, but in case there is any doubt, Aura Creative endorses Kamala Harris for president. You may be asking, “Gabrielle, at your place of work?” and the answer is yes. Today, and always.
🇺🇸 Moodboard of the week
This week’s moodboard is a tribute to the past, present, and future — to inalienable rights that yet had to be fought for, to the work it takes to make the work possible, to good trouble, and to the power we all have in us to create the world as it should be. Click here or below to view the full board on Pinterest.
🔍 Question of the week
“How to combine bits of your personality that people would find quirky into your personal brands?”
This is one of my favorite questions, and one I think about all the time. As somebody who cannot be anything but myself at any given moment, and who never shies away from personal opinions even in a business setting, both experience and observation have told me that the quirky parts of your personality are not just ok to bring into your personal brand — they are perhaps your greatest asset. This goes just as much for literal personal brands — i.e. when you, as a person, are the brand — as well as for businesses where one person is a clear central figure.
Our quirks make us exciting and real to people, providing them with a tangible sense of what it would be like to work with us. They give people an opportunity to identify with us, but just as much show people what sets us apart and makes us special, qualified, interesting, or even just different. Without showing your full self, people are far more likely to view you as part of a larger, easily-interchangeable crowd. When they know exactly who you are — quirks and all — they get excited about you specifically. What you lose in people who don’t like your quirks, you more than make up for in people who are so excited about you, they can’t picture working with anyone else.
Bill Penzey, owner of Penzey’s Spices, regularly bases his ads and newsletters around political rants. They are nothing if not quirky, but they have helped him build an extremely loyal and passionate customer base.
How do you do it?
There’s no one-size-fits all approach to incorporating quirks into your personal brand, so to some degree this depends on instinct. That said, there are some general guidelines. The biggest one is to stay grounded in what your overall mission and message are. People want to see your quirks, and not everything you say or do has to tie back to some greater purpose. But they are more likely to get annoyed if they feel like said quirks are getting in the way of the real reason they’re there. In other words, you don’t want your quirks to work with your brand, rather than distract from it. If you can, try to leverage your personality or things that matter to you to make them work specifically toward your brand goals. For example:
My mom has VERY strong opinions. When she teaches cooking classes, she always says exactly what she means — even if it feels a little blunt. Her students think it’s hilarious, and learn much more because of it. This has helped her build a passionate and loyal customer base who love her style, which they can’t find anywhere else.
I love talking about LGBTQ+ issues, which doesn’t directly relate to my job. While I never shy away from mentioning queer issues generally, I particularly love to talk about the intersection of queer theory and graphic design — for example, posting on Instagram about pride flag design.
That said, there are many other ways to incorporate your quirks into your personal brand, even if they don’t directly tie back to your overall goals or message. The number one way is simply to lead with authenticity. Do you feel passionately about something? Talk about it. Do you have an unorthodox system you want to try out? Do it. If something feels right and relevant to you, say it without forcing yourself to filter. Indeed, as you let your most authentic self take the lead, you may find your brand shaping itself around you.
Submit your burning design questions by sending me a message below. Questions can relate to design itself, entrepreneurship, workflow, or anything you think I may be able to answer. There are no limits.
🎧 Soundtrack of the week
This week’s playlist is SO. GOOD. I defy anyone to listen to this music and not feel totally fired up. This playlist will give you the strength to sign up for a phone bank, or knock on a door, or get yourself to the polls. This playlist will remind you how we got here so you’re empowered to take the next step forward. Preview the playlist below, or click here to listen and save on Spotify. Seriously, don’t skip this one.
💙 My Favorite Things
I have been obsessed with Vote Save America — Pod Save America’s voter turnout initiative — since it launched in 2017. A one-stop voter resource hub, Vote Save America offers localized registration information, key deadlines and resources for each state, and a tool to help voters look up their exact ballot in advance, as well as easy access to volunteer opportunities for progressive candidates and causes.
More importantly than the work they do, their graphic design is truly epic. Their branding is bright and accessible, engaging and unintimidating. It is easy to use and fun to look at, as design should be. And their website is scattered with interactive graphics that move as you engage with various features around it.
In a world where civic-focused services (including campaign design) are often so dry, and good design is often snooty and off-putting, Vote Save America’s site and branding are a functional and fun breath of fresh air.
All images screenshot from votesaveamerica.com
✨ Bonus Favorite Thing
Incidentally, if you’re looking for a great way to volunteer from home this week, Vote Save America is leading a drive to help cure absentee ballots — in other words, ballots that were submitted with errors, which will not be counted unless those errors are fixed.
Calling to help voters correct these errors is one of the most important ways to help out at this stage. You don’t have to convince anybody of anything — you’re simply helping people who already voted make sure their vote counts. Click below to learn more or sign up!
🌱 Touching Grass
📖 What I’m reading: I started reading Jason Stanley’s Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future this weekend, and I literally can’t stop talking about it. It’s one of the most engaging, fascinating, and important books I’ve ever read (and I’m only 3 chapters in). Where it could be really depressing, it’s more empowering than anything. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
🎧 What I’m listening to: I listened to this week’s playlist like 4 times yesterday. It’s so good.
📺 What I’m watching: I don’t know if you guys can tell, but my election anxiety is through the roof. Parks and Rec is keeping me sane.
🥨 What I’m eating: I went canvassing in Pennsylvania on Saturday and tried to make myself a trail mix out of chocolate covered pretzels and Reese’s pieces. It turns out Flipz packaging doesn’t have the structural integrity to support an additional bag of Reese’s pieces. They should really warn you about that before you buy them. Anyway, I managed to save most of it and the leftovers have made a nice election anxiety snack.