Can Design Save Democracy?
Source: Getty Images
Established in 1998, AIGA Design for Democracy applies design tools and thinking to increase civic participation by making interactions between the U.S. government and its citizens more understandable, efficient and trustworthy. Independent, pragmatic and committed to the public good, Design for Democracy collaborates with researchers, designers and policy-makers in service of public sector clients and AIGA’s goal of “demonstrating the value of design by doing valuable things."
Richard Grefé is the executive
director of AIGA and Jessica Friedman
Hewitt is the managing director of its Design for
Democracy program.
The confusion called national attention to the design of ballots.
Because design is so important in our democratic
process, the AIGA Design For Democracy issued their Top 10 Election Design
Guidelines.
Take some time to research this issue of Design
and Democracy and then in your blog response, let us know how you feel about
the importance of design in elections—not just in ballot design, but also in
campaign materials, etc.
We aren’t looking for a political debate, instead
give a clear response to how you feel design fits in our election and
democratic process.
Political elections are not a scenario to be taken lightly. Voters need to vote with the confidence that their ballot will be well designed and easy to navigate. As United States citizens, we have earned the right to vote. It is the responsibility of the government to make sure that our voting experience is effective. Voters need to be assured that the candidates they intend to select will be the candidates they end up casting a vote for. If a poor ballot layout causes voters to unintentionally select the wrong candidate, the voters' rights have been violated. The idea that Floridians may have been issued a poorly designed ballot is frustrating, and I am glad that widespread attention has been devoted to fixing this problem.
Other elections materials can potentially be as misleading as the ballots. Campaign commercials can be misrepresentative because creative designers manipulate the commercial to imply untruths. This manipulation allows the campaigns to belittle the opposition without explicitly lying. Commercial manipulation in political campaigns is certainly immoral, but it is difficult to regulate. It is difficult to draw a line on what is appropriate presentation of information in commercials or pamphlets, but it is easier to set clear-cut guidelines for the ballot design. I am pleased that the AIGA has devised these seemingly obvious criteria for ballots, and I hope that the intuitive ballot will be adopted by the entire country if it hasn't been already.
Posted by Amy Schlosser on November 08, 2008 at 08:14 PM EST #
Although it may not be noticed by citizens or some designers for that matter, the design of ballots is extremely important. There is no such thing as the average voter, because each and every person with a democratic voice comes from a different educational background. This means that when designing and publishing a ballot intended to further democracy each and every person should be on the same playing, or at least as much as humanly possible. It is the alienable right of each American to be able to choose who they feel is the best representative for their personal issues and when casting a vote the last problem there should be is a confusing or misleading ballot. the design of ballots should not be taken lightly.The design of campaign materials also play a huge role is the decision of voters. It is important to make all items clear and concise in order to avoid manipulation. However in politics manipulation is one of the key factors in gaining support. Manipulation of feelings for or against a candidate then becomes the job of a designer. It is then the moral responsibility of the voter to educate themselves as well as choose their candidate wisely.
Posted by Kandice Ross on November 09, 2008 at 04:05 PM EST #
When it comes to elections there are many issues the general public do not see going on behind the scenes of the election process. The design of ballots and campaigning ads is definitely something the average voter could easily miss, until they are face to face with a problem. The fact that the design of a ballot, or lack there of, could influence or change the outcome of an election is absurd. Since the 2000 elections it is obvious that they have put a greater emphasis on this design process but there are still issues with the ballots. The right to vote is a great honor and freedom in our country that countless people have fought to earn. This right should not be hindered by the poor design of a ballot. Voters and campaigners both go to great lengths to learn, and inform the public, about what their candidate stands for. With a defect in a ballot though all the work put into this information is worthless if at election time your vote is cast for the wrong person. Another area in elections where the design process is critical is in campaign advertisement. Millions upon millions of dollars are invested by various parties each election in the advertisement process for their chosen candidates in attempts that this will sway the popular vote their party. The design of these ads is very critical for one of the main reasons people are draw to an ad whether, to read, watch, or listen to it is for its design and how the information is presented. For those voters who are not as well informed about the candidates advertisements is the main way they gain their knowledge on the candidates who are running for election. Especially in this year’s election when there was a great number of younger and first time voters coming to the polls the design of the ads to catch the younger eye was very important to the parties and candidates.
Posted by Ryan Schmidt on November 09, 2008 at 08:00 PM EST #
It was the 16th president of our country, Abraham Lincoln, who once said, “Thanks to our good old Constitution, and organization under it.... [The country] only needs that every right thinking man, shall go to the polls, and without fear or prejudice, vote as he thinks.” Under this point of view, the average man, or any person at all that takes matters into their own hands by voting, can be considered a designer. When given an obstacle (in this case the leadership of the United States) the voter is bestowed with the ability to combine the selection candidates in the way he sees fit in order to best address the matters at hand. In this matter, design has EVERYTHING to do with the concept of a Democracy. In order to be successful in the role of a “political designer” however, one must take it upon themselves to become educated in the motives, opinions, and intentions of each candidate. It is in this aspect, the process of campaigning, that I believe the candidates should pay closest attention to their own design. In the past presidential election, it seemed as though the predominant strategy was that of mudslinging. In the future, I believe that the candidates should focus more on the choices he (or she) intends to make in the position of public office rather than the ones they intend to avoid. If an individual is expected to vote based on the things that a candidate isn’t, then I expect that when they find out exactly what the candidate is, they are going to be sorely disappointed. I believe that the focus of the next election should be the provision of an unbiased source of information, a dictionary if you will, for the common voter. The candidates may choose to smear the image and stances of their opponent but in order for the voting citizen to design their own plan, a candidate’s opinion should be available and clear. Allowing the individual to be clear in what they want, I believe is most critical point of an accurate election and will be the key to maintaining a successful democracy.
Posted by Sarah Scott on November 10, 2008 at 12:46 PM EST #
Now more than ever, design plays an important role in elections throughout the country. Overlooked in past elections, design really is what attracts some voters. I feel that in this years election, design in a campaign really helped influence the outcome.
Design is throughout all parts of a candidates campaign, from the design of commercials, posters, buttons, bumper stickers, banners, and even the overall campaign strategy. Sometimes i feel that our younger generation is influenced too much by design in a campaign and is attracted by aesthetically pleasing posters and stickers and is being drawn away from the values and beliefs of the candidate. Although this is a negative of design in elections, i feel design is important throughout the election process, the design of ballots especially. It is important for a ballot to be very user friendly. This makes for a very seamless voting process and a pleasant one that will make the voter want to vote in future elections. It’s always important to have the public vote and if they are discouraged to vote because of design, how is the government going to be able to reflect their beliefs? Design is definitely becoming more and more prominent in all areas of our lives. The fact that design is being looked at as a way to influence voters and help them vote is a big step in incorporating design in everything we do.
Posted by Patrick A Short on November 10, 2008 at 12:50 PM EST #
More then ever the impact of design is apparent in the recent election. We saw the affect of the design in posters, commercials, and print media that Barack Obama employed to overpower the more conventional approach that McCain took. Design affects more then the aesthetic appeal of an object. It can affect thought and ideas, change poerspectives and open new doors. For Obama and democrats it was the voice of hope and change. Through design in politics dimensions are added to the words and actions of politicians that reach out to the people. Design is like speaking in vernacular, it is universal. It communicates to the voter connecting beyond sight reaching into the subconscious and guiding us along to a deeper understanding of what an individual and his/her cause stands for. In other ways it can help us or hinder us through configuration and layout. In the dilemma of ballot layout we see the importance of design even in something so drab as ballot layout in order to increase its effectiveness in letting the voter express their desicion. In politics design becomes more then just a visual choice it becomes a choice of beliefs.
Posted by Scott Siegner on November 10, 2008 at 10:02 PM EST #
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Posted by lgqpasyf on November 24, 2008 at 11:25 AM EST #