Political Design

I enjoy designing for election campaigns because it allows me to use my design skills to support a good cause.

It's deeper than giving candidates a campaign look that goes beyond a forgettable red/white/blue logo inspired by the American flag. It's about giving these candidates a custom identity that emphasizes the unique qualities they want to portray to their constituents. I make sure to give them a brand identity, print materials, & social media collateral that makes them stand out in a sea of candidates.
I've worked for campaigns that have suffered brutal defeats, especially following the 2024 election. However, I won't let these defeats be the end of my political design career. Over these next few years, I aim to push my political work even further to support progressive causes and the candidates & incumbents who support them. I want to continue using design to inspire hope & action, and there is definitely a big fight ahead of us.​​​​
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Here are some of the political campaign brands I've crafted:
At the start of the 2020 election season, I was approached by Alexis Garcia-Arrazola to serve as the Graphic Designer for his bilingual Seaside City Council campaign. As a 23-year-old Latino, Alexis aims to represent a demographic that has long been underserved in Seaside, which is 43.3% Hispanic as of the 2010 Census. During college, Alexis served as an intern for U.S. Representative Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32) in Washington, D.C. and previously worked as a news personality for Spanish-language news stations in Monterey County.
For his campaign branding, Alexis wanted to use a sleek, modern logo to present himself as a candidate for change in the 21st century. Alexis wanted to highlight a thunderbolt to represent his current position working for a local utility company, as well as to entice potential voters into learning more about his campaign.
I created bilingual signage and social media graphics with a clean design style that made Alexis' design stand out against his competition. I also maintained and designed the campaign newsletter using the Mailchimp platform.
With a slight margin of victory over two other opponents, Alexis won the second seat in Seaside City Council in the Election of 2020.
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Four years later, I was invited to be a part of Councilmember Garcia-Arrazola's re-election campaign team! 
In his first term, Alexis had worked to improve the city's infrastructure, foster collaborative relationships with small businesses, & create more equitable, affordable housing opportunities for Seaside residents. His bilingual 2024 campaign materials wanted to highlight these first-term achievements & communicate his goals for another term.
The team also wanted a fresh, new brand identity that better connected Alexis with the City of Seaside (which uses seahorses all over its city identity). During campaign canvassing, the volunteers noticed that many Seaside constituents actually preferred the new 2024 campaign identity, as it felt more approachable & friendly than the 2020 campaign identity.
Alexis was easily re-elected to the second seat in Seaside City Council in the Election of 2024.
|| CLIENT
Alexis Garcia-Arrazola for Seaside City Council
|| SCOPE OF WORK
Campaign branding
Environmental graphics
Print materials
Social media graphics
Newsletter
|| PROGRAMS USED
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Mailchimp
At the start of the 2020 election season, I was approached by Anthony Rocha to serve as the Director of Graphic Design for his Salinas City Council, District 6 campaign. At only age 21, he has served on numerous city and county commissions, on the Board of Directors for local nonprofits, and most recently as an elected school board member for the Salinas Union High School District.
For his campaign branding, Anthony wanted to use a serif font inspired by Bernie Sanders' campaign logo. Anthony also wanted to emphasize a "homegrown" message in an agricultural city like Salinas, so we added a sunburst to the wordmark. 
I was also tasked with creating folded mailers and graphics that highlighted Anthony's many endorsements from established local leaders and unions. I also created a map graphic that highlights Anthony's City Council district in Salinas.
Through all rounds of results after Election Night (Nov. 3, 2020), Anthony held a large margin of victory over his two opponents and was elected as the next Councilmember representing Salinas' District 6!
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In 2024, I had the pleasure of working with Councilmember Rocha once again on his re-election campaign! 
In his first term as a councilmember, Anthony Rocha has led the charge in a newly progressive Salinas City Council. This council has disrupted decades of the status quo led by Big Agriculture by enacting policies & investments—such as rent control stabilization, improved public safety responses, & badly-needed infrastructure improvements—that directly improve the lives of everyday Salinas residents. His bilingual 2024 campaign mailers & text message graphics made sure to highlight these tangible, first-term achievements & his endorsements from trusted local leaders.
The 2024 campaign identity builds on the existing 2020 branding, featuring overhauled brand assets that feature curves (inspired by the agricultural fields of the Salinas Valley) & modern gradients.
Unfortunately, Anthony's grassroots re-election campaign for his District 6 seat was defeated by a corporate-funded campaign in the Election of 2024.
|| CLIENT
Anthony Rocha for Salinas City Council
|| SCOPE OF WORK
Campaign branding
Environmental graphics
Print materials
Social media graphics
|| PROGRAMS USED
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Prior to the 2022 primary election, I was approached by Grant Leonard to create graphics for his bilingual campaign for Monterey County Supervisor. As the youngest candidate in the field of 5, Grant wanted to portray himself as a fresh new face in northern Monterey County. Grant is currently an affordable housing analyst for the City of Monterey and had previous experience as a transportation planner and as a board member of various local committees.
For his campaign branding, Grant wanted a sunburst motif to represent a fresh perspective from a new generation of leaders. To tie in the campaign with the agricultural communities of northern Monterey County, an artichoke is placed inside an organic, mixed-case wordmark.
Unfortunately, Grant did not gain enough votes during the June 2022 primary to qualify for the November 2022 ballot.
|| CLIENT
Grant Leonard for Monterey County Supervisor
|| SCOPE OF WORK
Campaign branding
Environmental graphics
Print materials
Template for endorsement graphics
|| PROGRAMS USED
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
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