You made the decision to step up for your community and run for office in the 2025 Consolidated Elections—congratulations!
First impressions are everything. When you’re ready to start meeting voters and talking about your campaign, residents need to see that the candidate they are interacting with can lead their community forward. What does it say about how you would lead if you can’t direct people to a website or if your campaign literature has poor design or spelling mistakes?
Candidates should follow our Startup Process that includes the necessary campaign materials and collateral needed to start your campaign in a winning direction.
Logo
Your brand is what people will see most from your campaign. Your logo will be seen on yard signs throughout your district, it will be seen across social media platforms, on mailers, and in other marketing efforts. Your logo will typically be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of your campaign.
The fundamentals of a campaign logo are simple: your name is the logo, focus on using just two colors, don’t let other text crowd out your name, and include small design elements when they make sense and illustrate your theme.
Since your logo is so foundational to your campaign and important to your public image, this is not an area you want to skimp. Put in the time and effort to come up with a good brand. This starts with hiring a professional designer.
Candidate Logo:
Slate Logo:
Collateral
Walkcard
Your walkcard will be your most-used piece of literature at events and while canvassing so you want it to convey the right information.
The front side of your walk card should include 4-5 things: your logo, a professional headshot, your slogan (if applicable), your 3 main points, and your website. The back side should include a photo with your family or action photo, a shortened version of your campaign bio (no more than 130 words), and the required disclaimer.
Candidate Walkcard:
Slate Walkcard:
Yard Sign
Whether you are ordering standard 18”x 24” yard signs, 4x4s, or even 3x5s, your signs need to stand out in what will be a sea of campaign yard signs.
We’ve seen a lot of good signs throughout the years and plenty of bad signs. The difference between the two: bad signs try to do too much.
When people are driving by, they only have a couple of seconds in their peripheral vision to register what’s on the sign. Adding slogans, pictures, or distracting graphics on signs only distracts them from the only thing that is important: your name. As we get closer to April, every street corner will be filled with signs and yours needs to stand out. Red, white, and blue are the most common colors, so consider using different colors in your branding to make your signs pop.
Candidate Yard Sign:
Slate Yard Sign:
Website
You can only say so much at the door to a voter or during an interview with the local newspaper, but you need a place where you can layout your vision and plan for your community so voters can learn why they should support your campaign.
Your website should include a homepage with content similar to your walkcard, along with interior pages that share what you’ll do if elected, more about your background, a page for people to volunteer or request yard signs, and voter information for people to register to vote, vote by mail, or get early voting and Election Day voting hours.