SB2 - Design used to incite change

Design has a fundamentally large impact on culture and society, in both direct and indirect manifestations. Design can, among other things, be used to make people more likely to buy products that serve more good (hedonistic sustainability), make people more aware of an issue and so more likely to take action, and make people more likely to demand or vote for something when they see a visual representation of existing support (sociological conformity). 

How design helped a President win 

The Barack Obama "Hope" poster is an image of Barack Obama designed by artist Shepard Fairey, which was widely described as iconic and came to represent his 2008 presidential campaign. 

The design was created in one day and printed first as a poster. Fairey sold 290 of the posters on the street immediately after printing them. It was then more widely distributed—both as a digital image and other paraphernalia—during the 2008 election season, initially independently but with the approval of the official Obama campaign. The image became one of the most widely recognised symbols of Obama's campaign message, spawning many variations and imitations, including some commissioned by the Obama campaign. This led The Guardian's Laura Barton to proclaim that the image "acquired the kind of instant recognition of Jim Fitzpatrick's Che Guevara poster, and is surely set to grace T-shirts, coffee mugs and the walls of student bedrooms in the years to come."

How design swung an election 

It is widely agreed that the poor design of the butterfly ballot paper in the 2000 presidential election may have cost Al Gore the election. 

The ballot paper had names down both sides, with the punch holes in the centre - and was likened to a maze. The design led to thousands of people mistakenly voting for the Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan when they meant to vote for Democrat Al Gore, or spoiling the paper as they tried to correct their mistake. Al Gore's name was the second name on the left of the ballot paper, but voters had to punch the third hole to vote for him (see picture). People wanting to vote for George Bush had fewer problems, as his name was top, and conveniently corresponded to the top hole.

As a result, Gore lost between 15-25,000 votes. This is over 10 times the number he needed to have won. 

How design was used to inspire national health and fitness 

Change4Life was launched in January 2009 as the social marketing component of the Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives cross-governmental strategy for England. 

The anti-obesity campaign from Public Health England works with a coalition of partners, including many of the familiar brands and retailers people experience during everyday life. These brands amplify campaign messages and help influence positive choices at the point of decision so people start to choose healthier foods in the supermarket. To help people get more active in their communities, leisure organisations work to make it easier or cheaper for people to get active.

Change4Life had a large impact on public health awareness and nutrition through TV, print and digital campaigns.