Will present posters from world-renowned communication designers to engage citizens in voting and democracy

 “This year, your vote matters,” designer Agust??n Garza

Cleveland State University will host the inaugural stop of the touring graphic design exhibition “Get Out the Vote,” organized by AIGA, the professional association for design, in partnership with the League of Women Voters. The nonpartisan campaign seeks to mobilize the communication design profession in support of voter engagement and efficacy while promoting the overall importance of political involvement for all citizens. The exhibition will include pieces from some of the nation’s top communication designers including Milton Glaser, co-founder of New York magazine and creator of the famed “I ♥LOVE NY” logo, as well as posters submitted by AIGA members from the four corners of the U.S.

The exhibit will be presented at the Galleries at CSU, July 7-30, and will coincide with the Republican National Convention which will be hosted by the city of Cleveland July 18-21.  An opening night reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. July 7 featuring Glaser’s newest piece “To Vote is to Exist.”

Glaser, a vocal leader in the movement to utilize design as a tool for social change, argues “full participation in the electoral process protects our ideals.”

“This is a unique exhibit, because the physical show is just a starting point, it’s what we all do with these visual messages afterwards that has a lasting impact, that completes the purpose of the initiative,” says Jennifer Visocky O'Grady, Professor of Design at CSU, organizer of the gallery show and a member of the AIGA national board of directors.

Glaser’s work will be joined by posters from AIGA members and influencers from across the country, including noted designers Sean Adams, Antionette Carroll, Drew Davies, Agust??n Garza, and Jenny Lam. Garza transformed his poster, “Este A??o tu Voto es Cosa Seria” (read: this year, your vote matters) into a public service announcement featuring actor Edward James Olmos. The PSAs are running on the national cable channel Azteca from June 3 through the 2016 presidential election. They will reach approximately 43 million people, 89% of the Hispanic population in the U.S.

“The political discourse this year gives the Latino vote unprecedented importance,” says Olmos.

“Design makes ideas, people and places more visible. AIGA has pioneered the notion that design can be a powerful tool for an engaged democracy, and this campaign is one of many civic engagement projects under the organization’s respected Design for Democracy initiative.” says Julie Anixter, executive director of AIGA.

The CSU exhibit is part of a broad series of events and activities being hosted by the university during RNC week. For a complete list visit http://csuohio.edu/rncweek/index.html.

In conjunction with its presentation in Cleveland, the Get Out the Vote campaign will also present an exhibit in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. Additional events will also be presented in additional cities throughout the U.S., including Phoenix and Las Vegas in the fall. Originally developed for the 2000 presidential election and presented every four years since, the Get Out the Vote campaign is part of the larger Design For Democracy program founded by AIGA in 1998. It seeks to enhance the entire voting process—from registering to the polling place experience—and resulted in the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission has endorsed AIGA’s recommendations for redesigning election ballots to optimize voter participation.

This year, for the first time, AIGA is partnering with the League of Women Voters to increase distribution of posters, organize events with local AIGA chapters and student groups, and drive traffic to www.Vote411.org, the one-stop-shop for nonpartisan voter information.

For more information on Get Out The Vote and to download posters, please visit www.AIGA.org/vote. For more information about the CSU gallery show go to https://www.csuohio.edu/class/art-gallery/art-gallery.