Standing out in the cluttered landscape of political mail isn’t just an art—it’s a necessity. I worked with Upper Left Strategies and partnered with Our Votes Count, a progressive independent expenditure group, to create mailers for legislative districts across Washington State, including LD 10, LD 26, LD 14, Spokane’s LD 17, LD 18, and LD 03.
The goal? Design pieces that wouldn’t be immediately tossed in the recycling bin but instead capture attention, spark curiosity, and deliver critical voting information.
Inspired by classic “Greetings from Washington” postcards, we created mailers that celebrated the heritage and identity of each legislative district, featuring iconic monuments and instantly recognizable landmarks. By spotlighting familiar imagery and cultural touchstones, we created a sense of connection that made recipients take notice. The reverse side balanced this nostalgic aesthetic with clear, concise guidance on key races and candidates, equipping voters to make informed choices and empowering voters to take charge of their ballots.
More than just promotional pieces, these mailers were designed to feel like personal messages from someone who shares their community and values, building trust and engagement, fulfilling our goal of being not just another political mailer in a pile of junk mail.
District-Specific Design: Each mailer was tailored to its legislative district, showcasing unique landmarks and visuals familiar to local voters
Messaging with Impact: The back of each card delivered concise, persuasive arguments for progressive candidates while countering misinformation about statewide initiatives.
High Production Value: The vintage postcard aesthetic was executed with professional graphic design that mimicked authentic postcards, right down to handwritten-style fonts and muted color palettes reminiscent of the mid-20th century.
The campaign’s success is rooted in its ability to connect on a human level. These mailers created a tactile and emotional experience by leveraging nostalgia and hyper-local design. Our strategy delivered on its primary objective: keeping our mail pieces out of the bin, driving voter turnout, and supporting candidates in critical swing districts. The overwhelming majority of the candidates we supported in this effort won their races by razor-thin margins, which can be attributed to the work we did targeting lower-frequency voters to ensure they also voted on the down-ballot races.
Upper Left Strategies knows that successful political communication isn’t just about delivering a message—it’s about delivering it in a way that resonates. For Our Votes Count, the vintage postcard concept transformed traditional campaign mail into a connection, persuasion, and community-building tool. By understanding each district's unique cultural and geographic nuances, we created a personal, relevant, and impactful campaign.
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