Boards of Change
Award: Black Pencil
Black Pencil / Spatial Design / Public Spaces / 2021
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Art Direction / Direct
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Experiential / Community
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Direct / Press & Outdoor
Award: Shortlist
Shortlist / Experiential / Out-of-Home
Award: Shortlist
Shortlist / Integrated / Collaborative Campaigns
Boards of Change brought America’s disenfranchised voices from the streets to the polls. Plywood boards that barricaded storefronts during the Black Lives Matter protests, filled with messages of unity and justice, were turned into voting booths. They inspired residents in dozens of Chicago’s low-turnout neighborhoods to create systemic change through the power of their vote and enabled them to register. Amplified by outdoor, social media, and national PR, Boards of Change empowered Black Americans to know their vote counts and helped Chicago attain a record number of registrations and voters.
What did the judges have to say?
"The design is resourceful, creative, and responds to the urgency. It meets people where they are. The work is portable, accessible and user-centric. Most importantly, they take something that has a negative connotation, and turn it into a positive, proactive thing. That is a good design. From a designer’s POV, It’s obvious this isn’t Bauhaus sensibility or Swiss Design Grid, but it’s functional, meaningful, accessible and conceptually beautiful."
Hsien-Yin Ingrid Chou, Creative Director / Educator, MoMA / Parsons School of Design
"What is relevant$what can change the world$voting booth. So much was said about the election in the States. So much digital influence$social media, hackers, news channels. The piece that I liked the most was the project using wood that protected the shop windows and transformed them to registration boxes for the election. It’s real, it’s in the streets, it’s for everyone, it’s democratic, it’s relevant."
Michael Keller, Designer & Head, BLACKSPACE
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