Vote Early Day

A new nonpartisan cultural holiday designed to bring together all Americans to know, and act on, their voting options.

Service

Capabilities

The Challenge

Voting: seems pretty simple right? Despite being one of the most unifying privileges of our American democracy, it’s long been a partisan issue, a tool to otherize and oppress rather than unite and uplift. And it’s often seen as a chore to be squeezed in. How can we highlight more opportunities for Americans to exercise their voting options—and get people of all stripes excited to do it?

A person walks past a large outdoor billboard promoting "Vote Early Day" on October 24, 2020. The billboard features images of people voting and texts emphasizing the importance of early voting and the celebration of every American's right to be heard.

A brand for everyone

Vote Early Day aims to change the conversation around voting—to frame it as an opportunity, a celebration, and a chance to come together. Hyperakt’s work was to build a brand that bridges ideological divides, resonates with audiences of all ages, and plays well with the visual systems of Vote Early Day’s many partner organizations.

The campaign launched with over 60 partners across media, consumer brands, and advocacy organizations (a number grew to 500+ by election day), and its strength lies in the fact that it isn’t ‘owned’ by any one entity.

A flyer on a pole promotes early voting with a message in white text on a purple background: "When you vote early, you ensure that school, work, long lines, or a bad commute on Election Day won't top your ballot from being counted!" The flyer includes "Vote Early Day 2020.

A purple baseball cap displayed against a light purple background, with the words "VOTE EARLY DAY 2020" in white, bold, vertical text on the front panel.

Celebratory and inclusive

Photos are an important element to making Vote Early Day feel real and relatable. Just as drab photos of long lines and paperwork can tell one story about voting—one of drudgery, duty, and inefficiency—uplifting images can paint a different picture. Our photo curation highlighted people in groups, collaborating, taking action, taking a stand, and celebrating together.

A person with long braids holding a blue and white megaphone is seen from behind, addressing a crowd at a demonstration. They are wearing a denim jacket and a beige backpack. The image features the text "VOTE EARLY DAY OCT 24 2020" in white letters at the bottom right.

A man wearing a hat and suit holds a small American flag, smiling at the camera. Beside him, a woman with blonde hair wearing a white T-shirt and sunglasses also smiles. They stand in front of a glass building under a bright sky.

A focused experience

With an initiative that lives in many places—on social media, in print and digital ads, on partner’s platforms—Vote Early Day needed a single place for people to take action. The VED website is short and sweet, focused on inclusivity, positivity, and accessibility.

Whether a visitor is searching to find out if they can vote early in their state; a potential partner organization wants to take next steps; or military personnel deployed overseas need to request their ballot, the website is clear and direct.

Vote Early Day

Designing for partnerships

We selected clean, airy colors that keep Vote Early Day fresh and relevant while steering clear of partisanship undertones (our apologies to pink and blue). Partnerships were also a driving force behind color concerns. With the ever-expanding roster of partners, the mark needed to be able to take on elements of partners' visual identities.

The strength of the gridded mark gives it a distinctive presence that stands up to different color applications and allows it to merge smoothly with partner brands. We also crafted a strong set of brand guidelines to maintain Vote Early Day's brand equity including scale, logo distortion, and use of negative space.

A tweet from @sweetgreen announcing their partnership with Vote Early Day for October 24th, 2020. The tweet highlights the celebration of early voting and includes a graphic with "Vote Early Day 2020" and a prompt to visit voteearlyday.org for more information.

60
brand partners at launch
2,700+
brand partners 6 months later

Making it easy to spread the word

Thanks to the Vote Early Day Toolkit, supporters on both the individual and institutional level can customize graphics that rep Vote Early Day. Each download can be formatted for Twitter, as well as Instagram’s grid and Stories. If you’re stoked to advocate for your state, your company, or your community, you can access tiles, photography, and fonts to join the cause in full VED style.