Behind the Scenes: Accessing Democracy Poster
I’m delighted to share that an exciting project of mine has been released into the world: I designed a movie poster!
It’s not a wide-release blockbuster that’s going to have everyone running to the cinema, but it is just as important as the latest Marvel or Star Wars spinoff. And there’s no weird talking tree.
The poster I designed is for a short documentary film called “Accessing Democracy,” produced by the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). It centers on Monica Wiley, a Black disabled woman and voter engagement specialist at NDRN, and the 2024 general election. Monica traveled around the East Coast and interviewed disabled voters about the barriers they face, how politicians have let down the disabled community, and what they need from the next president.
I watched “Accessing Democracy” on October 10, at a virtual premiere. It was a valuable dig into ways disabled people are affected, or ignored, when it comes to voting. Online accessibility, e.g. to campaign sites, can be lacking. Health care is referenced broadly in debates, but the disabled community is rarely mentioned. The film covered quite a lot in its 27-minute running time. I came away feeling fired up, like, “Yeah! There’s a lot wrong! And now I’m pissed!” Which was probably the goal.
Jack Rosen, the director of “Accessing Democracy,” is a voting rights specialist with multiple disabilities. I had previously worked with NDRN on a logo design project in 2022 – which was about the time I became more vocal about identifying as disabled. So when Jack asked his colleagues at NDRN to recommend a disabled designer to create his poster, my name came up. It’s always flattering when previous clients recommend me to their colleagues and associates. Definitely my favorite way to get new projects.
Jack had a strong vision, which made the exploratory planning process nice and uncomplicated. He wanted minimalistic, clean, straightforward and realistic. A lot of people say they want minimal and then they want to add more and more. Jack was very clear on his vision. He sent me some examples of movie posters he’d liked, including one from “Moon” (2009). He also looked at my Instagram and noted posts he liked, including this I VOTED sticker.
In our conversations, I began to start thinking about American flag imagery. Of course, this made perfect sense because the subject of the film is American democracy and voting in the U.S., but also – BONUS!! – it meant this project was a great opportunity for me to incorporate my most beloved design motif: STRIPES!!! Can you tell I was excited?
We wanted to show that accessing democracy is not just about physical barriers, like having voting centers people can get into. It’s about representation and access – disabled people being included in conversations. You need to have disabled people at the tables because otherwise these are things that aren’t addressed. It’s not just about ramps.
In addition to the flag imagery, I also thought of the stripes as an abstract representation of barriers, both physical and mental. They kind of look like bars. Something is getting in the way of people doing what they need to do. That said, the design is open to interpretation, and if it makes you think other things, or feel other ways, I’d love to hear from you!
We started with 3 design options to explore what would be the best approach. Early versions of the chosen poster included a stock image of a woman in a wheelchair. Having a photo of Monica herself, rather than a generic disabled person, gave the poster more authenticity.
I used Canva for the design, so Jack could see what it would look like in flier size, postcard size, hanging from the top of the Washington Monument banner size… hey, a girl can dream. For the font, I chose Barlow Condensed, which worked with the longer words of the title – it’s more visually appealing for the words to not appear too wide. I also think condensed fonts have a more timeless, historical feel. They make me think of letterpress type while still looking clean and contemporary.
Designing a standalone piece, like a poster, is simpler than a branding project or even a logo. I didn’t have to think about how something will look 10 years from now, or if the logo will work at different sizes, or how to create a report cover that translates to a readable interior motif? This allowed me to be more openly creative, which was a lot of fun. And even though the project itself is on a fairly small scale, the film is being submitted to festivals across the U.S., which means a lot of people are potentially going to see my work.
I mean… “Accessing Democracy” could win an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject, and then later incarnations of my poster would have the words “Academy Award Winner” on it….
It’s a good thing I never get ahead of myself.