Next Up is a nonprofit focused on engaging, empowering, and amplifying the voices of local youth leaders toward collective action in order to build a more inclusive and just democracy.
After doing an internal reflection surrounding how we as a studio were advocating for underserved communities, we sought to uplift an organization who’s mission is exactly that.
Next Up’s top priority at the time was inspiring young voters to register for the November 2020 election, and then to actually vote! We jumped at the opportunity to help. Our timeline was short, the budget was tight, and our target audience was younger than us. We were also up against existing media content built to cloud judgement and overwhelm eligible voters, regardless of age.
We collaborated with Next Up to gain insight and perspective from their community, employees, and leaders, including a small group of high school students. We tapped our own network of friends and family, both young and old. What motivated people to vote, or not vote? Did they think their voice mattered? What about it did they care about?
As expected, there are a lot of issues to consider.
A central theme that struck us was the universal appeal in voting for a movement or an issue, not for a person or political party. No matter what community you’re part of, something or someone you care about will be affected by the outcome of this (and every) election. Our approach was to create an interactive campaign that reflected this notion, encouraging young people to get personal and engage in the conversation by stating what issues mattered to them. We used the fill-in-the-blank phrase “I’m voting for_________” to foster agency and communicate that we, as individuals, have the power to support our values and community through our vote.
From there, we took the "blank" a bit further from this fill-in-the-blank concept by crafting some playful calls to action.
Our use of bright colors, bold typography, playful animation, and DIY collage-style imagery was meant to convey urgency while allowing our messages to remain accessible and clear. We made open-source templates available to download for social media (and for printing at home), encouraging people to make their own “I’m Voting for ________" posts and to share them with their communities.
Leading up to Oregon's registration deadline, we staged a campaign on Next Up's Instagram with posts bringing various common issues to light, as well a series of count-down-to-registration reminders. We also took to the streets, posting flyers on telephone poles and custom magnets to USPS Blue Boxes (designed for people to take) to help spread the word.
We repurposed our high-profile studio windows on the Burnside Bridge into a billboard, and even created some fun evergreen collateral with messaging that can be used year after year.
All of this lead to what just might have been our favorite client presentation ever, involving tears of joy, and resulting in a campaign to be truly proud of. It was inspiring to collaborate with a local organization that's working hard to empower our youth, and to use our skills for a cause we strongly believe in.
Don’t forget to VOTE!
Next Up is a nonprofit focused on engaging, empowering, and amplifying the voices of local youth leaders toward collective action in order to build a more inclusive and just democracy.
After doing an internal reflection surrounding how we as a studio were advocating for underserved communities, we sought to uplift an organization who’s mission is exactly that.
Next Up’s top priority at the time was inspiring young voters to register for the November 2020 election, and then to actually vote! We jumped at the opportunity to help. Our timeline was short, the budget was tight, and our target audience was younger than us. We were also up against existing media content built to cloud judgement and overwhelm eligible voters, regardless of age.
We collaborated with Next Up to gain insight and perspective from their community, employees, and leaders, including a small group of high school students. We tapped our own network of friends and family, both young and old. What motivated people to vote, or not vote? Did they think their voice mattered? What about it did they care about?
As expected, there are a lot of issues to consider.
A central theme that struck us was the universal appeal in voting for a movement or an issue, not for a person or political party. No matter what community you’re part of, something or someone you care about will be affected by the outcome of this (and every) election. Our approach was to create an interactive campaign that reflected this notion, encouraging young people to get personal and engage in the conversation by stating what issues mattered to them. We used the fill-in-the-blank phrase “I’m voting for_________” to foster agency and communicate that we, as individuals, have the power to support our values and community through our vote.
From there, we took the "blank" a bit further from this fill-in-the-blank concept by crafting some playful calls to action.
Our use of bright colors, bold typography, playful animation, and DIY collage-style imagery was meant to convey urgency while allowing our messages to remain accessible and clear. We made open-source templates available to download for social media (and for printing at home), encouraging people to make their own “I’m Voting for ________" posts and to share them with their communities.
Leading up to Oregon's registration deadline, we staged a campaign on Next Up's Instagram with posts bringing various common issues to light, as well a series of count-down-to-registration reminders. We also took to the streets, posting flyers on telephone poles and custom magnets to USPS Blue Boxes (designed for people to take) to help spread the word.
We repurposed our high-profile studio windows on the Burnside Bridge into a billboard, and even created some fun evergreen collateral with messaging that can be used year after year.
All of this lead to what just might have been our favorite client presentation ever, involving tears of joy, and resulting in a campaign to be truly proud of. It was inspiring to collaborate with a local organization that's working hard to empower our youth, and to use our skills for a cause we strongly believe in.
Don’t forget to VOTE!
