Political campaign posters can have a powerful impact with just a few words or images. Obama's "Hope" poster and AOC's color scheme created lasting impressions that resonated with supporters. Posters provide an initial message to viewers and potential volunteers or donors in a concise visual format. Effective posters use minimal text and clutter with an eye-catching color palette and repetition at high-traffic locations. Professionals can help craft posters that reflect a campaign's message and motivate the target audience through strategic graphic design and placement of the posters.

1. Why Political Campaign Posters Are
A Powerful Tool Even Today

2. Are political campaign posters still
relevant and practical?
Obama’s “Hope” poster, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s popping color
scheme and Bernie Sanders’ “Not Me. Us” posters have created a last
impression. Each of these designs is a testimony of how relevant posters
remain. Let’s see how:

3. They can create a massive impact in a few words
Obama’s Hope poster is a great
contemporary example. Shepard
Fairey, the artist behind the
poster, shares that it wasn’t supposed
to be a significant part of the campaign.
But it resonated with the supporters,
and he sold over 4700 copies within
the first few days!

4. They reach a segment of the audience who
prefer not to read
Posters do the job of sending
your very first message out
there.
Viewers catch your message
with powerful images, your
slogan and a short message.

5. They can be an online tool as much as offline
Posters can be used to make
the initial impression of your
campaign through social media
profiles. You have more
creative freedom in designing
online posters with videos, gifs,
audios, and other media tools.

6. How can campaign posters help
you?
Many political campaigns have reaped benefits of posters. They make it
an essential channel of communication with supporters and voters.
Posters can help you with:

7. • Volunteer recruitment
• Campaign message Distribution
• Improving visibility in high traffic areas
• Making fundraising appeals
• GOTV

8. How do you make a political
campaign poster?
There’s a myriad of advertisements, hoardings, billboards, and you want
to stand out from the crowd. How do you do it?

9. Choose a color palette
that stands out
Creators of The Simpsons and
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s poster
chose the yellow theme with one aim- to
stand out from the hullabaloo of
commonly used colours.
People tend to get familiar with the
common and remember only that which
pops out. So choose your palette wisely

10. Do not clutter
“…the most effective campaign posters
of every era leave as much as possible
to the voter’s imagination”
- Brooke Gladstone
When it comes to posters, minimalism is
more impactful. Stuffing a lot of
information in limited space can drown
your message

11. Put up posters at scale
Any advertising pundit will tell you that
repetition is a primary
advertising technique.
Your design will attract viewers, but the
only repetition will keep that intrigue
alive.

12. Hire graphic designers
Professional graphic designers train to:
• Understanding the effect of colors on
human moods
• Position the most crucial message, so it is
the highlight of your poster
• Use minimalism, heavy messaging,
pictures for effective results
• Understand what fonts, sizes, and color
contrasts to use for what effect

13. Create posters to reflect
the essence of your
campaign
Diversifying your creatives will attract a
diverse range of people. But, your message
should be at the crux of every creative.

14. Where and How To Display Political
Campaign Posters
For an effective poster campaign, the poster has to be displayed at a
venue that is frequented by your target audience and has enough context
to attract them. It is crucial to understand where and how to display them.
Let’s discuss them size-wise:

15. Billboards are can be useful for:
• Spreading awareness about your campaign
• Increasing event attendance for your campaign
Billboards

16. Large campaign posters on poles
In these posters, remember to
• Keep text to a minimum
• Focus on graphics instead
• Maintain placement such that drivers see sign every few seconds

17. When going for such posters, make sure you:
• Print out in bulks to stick in public places. People seldom
stop at the first poster
• Try for places where people will stop and read like counters
or waiting areas
• Go for big sized banners to stand out from the crowd
Wall sticker posters

18. With advertisements in shops or restaurants:
• There’s room to add more text
• Place posters behind cashiers in a shop or near tables in
food joints- where people will read them
• You can advertise text to join campaigns for volunteering or
fundraising appeals because people have time to wait and
act on the posters
Advertising in shops and cafes

19. You can use pamphlets to:
• Inform about the issues you advocate
• Spread word about volunteering opportunities or other means to support
you
• List polling locations and timings in that area as a GOTV effort
Pamphlets

20. Use this tool to:
• Increase followers
• Distribute campaign messaging
• Appeal for volunteering
• For fundraising appeals
Social media posters

21. Read more on how posters can make
your political campaign a success,
below.