Project Rationale

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The targeted demographic for this yard sign is 20-40 year-olds. This demographic reflects the age group that would be most interested in voting for a younger candidate in the election for County Commissioner as well as those who would find a modern design more eye-catching.  A yard sign is the most effective way to format the given information because they can be placed in many locations where members of this demographic will see them as they walk or drive by in the many neighborhoods of Ionia.

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The function of the yard sign is to offer fast, clear information to viewers about the candidate which is achieved through implementing a sans-serif typeface for the last name displayed on the sign (“Cook”). The mix of modern and retro typefaces with the use of cursive in the candidate’s first name (“Ally H.”) gives a clean, attractive look that brings cohesiveness and charm. This mix of retro and modern looks was very important to the candidate as well as including the Ionia skyline in the design somewhere, so it was included at the top to reflect the candidate’s love and priority on the city of Ionia in their policies. The skyline was left as a completely filled in shape so as not to take too much away from the words on the sign, yet still remain a prominent piece in the design.

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The design elements implemented include hierarchy with the last name larger than any other information, since that is what is most important for voters to remember when voting at the polls. Contrast between the lightness of the most important words against the darker colors of the background was also a major design element included. The sentence at the bottom was left intentionally not as prominent since it only had to be included for legality reasons. This choice in the color palette stemmed from the candidate’s preference for red, white, and blue shades which offered a nice contrast and cohesiveness to the design in the end. A few different options were given for different ways to implement the colors before the final design was chosen.