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'It looks like it was made on Microsoft Paint': We asked graphic designers to rate political posters

How effective are these posters? Are they outdated? Are there better ways for candidates could get themselves out there?

IT’S BECOME A staple of every Irish election: the towns and cities of Ireland get painted with posters for weeks as candidates beam down from every lamp-post and pole in the area in the hope of increasing their name recognition and picking up some votes. 

But how effective are these posters when it comes to politicians selling themselves? Are the designs outdated? Are there better ways for candidates to get themselves out there?

The Journal spoke to graphic designer Aaron Fahy, of Aaron F Design in Co Waterford, and Paul McBride, the creative director of graphic design studio Detail, to give their thoughts on some of the posters that have been zip-tied all over Ireland’s European constituencies in recent weeks.

Fahy said that while some posters during this campaign have broken the status quo and opted for a more modern, classy look, the majority of designs come from “the classic copy and paste”.

“A more modern approach is badly needed for some,” he said.

McBride and his team said that while most posters are quite similar, not all are “examples of design excellence”.

The Detail team said each poster needs to communicate just four pieces of information effectively to be impactful; the candidate’s name; their party; their portrait photo and a call to action.

“It’s a tried (and tired) and tested recipe and when a candidate moves out of this format the message can be lost,” McBride said.

So what do the designers think of these following examples?

Dublin

In every constituency, the graphic designers found the posters fell into the same categories: one very poor poster, one middle-of-the-road one, one ticked-all-the-boxes poster and one they believed brought a modern flare to the old tradition.

Fahy believed that while Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews’ poster had “the right idea”, there were still a few elements missing.

“It would’ve been nice if he wasn’t cut off and instead if his picture went right down to the bottom,” Fahy said.

On styling, he added: “I’m not too keen on the green Europe flag, but I get the idea.”

The Waterford designer rated Andrews’ poster a 6.5 out of 10.

Barry Andrews Barry Andrews (Facebook) Barry Andrews (Facebook)

McBride and the team at Detail said the hierarchal use of information on Andrews’ poster makes the details clear to the people who look at it and the colours on the poster make it easy for the public to identify the party as well.

The group also highlighted the stars, emulating the EU flag, but also noted that they added a distinction onto the poster so that observers know what election they are running in. 

The Detail team gave the poster a 6 out of 10. Average score: 6.25/10.

Elements certainly were not missing on independent candidate Conor Murphy’s poster, according to Fahy. The designer said that there was “way too much going on” and “way too much information” on the banner.

“It’s an absolutely dreadful poster,” Fahy said. “Conflicting colours, there’s just so much wrong with it. It looks like it was made on Microsoft paint,” he added.

The designer, who has worked with two-time Grammy-award-winning artist Lil Nas X and the BBC, gave Murphy’s poster 2/10.

“It’s definitely memorable, I’ll say that much.”

Conor Murphy Conor Murphy (Website) Conor Murphy (Website)

The team at Detail.ie said: “[This is] difficult to read from a distance. It’s like a poorly designed flier.”

While Fahy thought it may have been made in MS Paint, the Dublin-based design company said the candidate may have used another one of Microsoft’s softwares: “It looks amateur and cobbled together in PowerPoint.

“But the non-design aesthetic could be deliberate to indicate an unconventional candidate,” McBride and his team said.

The Detail team gave the poster a 1 out of 10. Average score: 1.5/10.

Social Democrats’ Sinéad Gibney’s poster scored high with our critics and was commended by Fahy for getting away from the boxy, unoriginal design with its rounded edges.

“It’s a pleasant design and I don’t really have any criticism,” Fahy said, scoring it an 8/10.

sinead gibneyt Cllr Eoin Ó Broin (Facebook) Cllr Eoin Ó Broin (Facebook)

The team at Detail.ie said Gibney’s design was “probably the cleanest, most minimal layout” and importantly stripped back the information on the poster to party, name, Europe and a simple numeral.

McBride said: “There’s a good use of party colours and branding and the Dublin background image brings additional meaning.”

The Detail team gave the poster a 9 out of 10. Average score: 8.5/10.

Midlands- North West

The vast constituency of Midlands-North West makes it very difficult for candidates to get to every doorstep and engage with the electorate. A good tactic is to have enough big and attention-grabbing posters to get your name out there.

So, continuing with the high-scorers, Fahy said the poster for Fine Gael’s Nina Carberry was the gold standard that other candidates should look to.

“I actually really like this design, it’s kind of like a reimagining of the classic posters where the person is boxed off and their name is under it,” he said.

nina carberry (1) Nina Carberry (X) Nina Carberry (X)

Fahy said that the poster was “powerful” as it stands out against others in the constituency. He added that if he were designing this poster, however, he would’ve gone with a darker blue for the Vote 1 and For Europe.

“It looks like the Centra colours,” he added. For that, Carberry’s poster lost one point, scoring a 9/10.

The graphic designers differed when it came to the top-scorer in this constituency. McBride and the team in Detail believed Sinn Féin’s Michelle Gildernew’s posters displayed a “good, clear hierarchy of information” that was “easily understood”.

The designer said, in comparison to Fianna Fáil, the Sinn Féin logo was more prominent. McBride added that he has noticed that Government parties tend to make their logos less visible during election campaigns, when compared with opposition parties.

“The party branding usually scales depending on public perception of the current government,” he added. The Dublin designers scored the poster 8 out of 10.

Michelle Gildernew Michelle Gildernew (X) Michelle Gildernew (X)

While Fahy agreed that the poster was “effective”, he added: “It just seems a bit copy and paste of the majority of posters most years and, personally for me, I find myself glazing over them because they all look the same.”

“There’s clearly a tried-and-tested formula there but, to me, it’s just a tad bit outdated. I can’t really flaw the overall design, because it’s effective. I’d give it a 6,” he said. Average score: 7/10.

Both designers suggested that Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan’s name recognition was doing the heavy lifting with his posters. The roadside banner was not a hit with the critics who spoke to The Journal.

ming Luke Ming Flanagan Luke Ming Flanagan

Fahy said the details on the poster were too small for the size of the banner and McBride suggested making his image and text “much, much larger” if he wanted a chance to be seen by drivers passing by. Both designers gave it a score of 4/10.

Ireland South

Continuing with our roadside banners, Independents4Change’s Mick Wallace’s posters have been a stand-out for their use of colours, slogans and presentation. But the designers said Wallace may have missed the mark.

“The overall design for this poster I don’t mind too much but I feel like he’s not really advertising effectively,” Fahy said. “If you were none the wiser you might look at it and think it’s a singer doing one last tour.”

McBride and the Detail team agreed: “This relies solely on knowing who Mick Wallace is with no other context; is it even an election poster? Add ‘Out Now” or “Live” and it could be Mick’s new album.”

The Detail team scored it a 3 out of 10.

Mick Wallace Mick Wallace Mick Wallace

Fahy said: “It just seems very out of place, I know that it’s trying to do something different but I feel like they’re trying too hard to be different, so far that the core message gets lost. It’s a cool idea but just has a poor execution. I’d give it a five.” Average score: 4/10

Green Party MEP Grace O’Sullivan teamed up with artist Yvonne Condon last week and used the portrait Condon drew of her for a spin-off poster. The idea was a great success with the designers.

Fahy and McBride said that the portrait sparks curiosity and makes for a nice change from the norm. Fahy gave her top marks on her poster.

“I love this idea a lot because it gets people talking and it has a nice message behind it too. It’s such a unique idea and it shows that there is a greater sense of community,” Fahy said.

Grace O'Sullivan Grace O'Sullivan (Instagram) Grace O'Sullivan (Instagram)

McBride said that, even without context, the poster is “powerful” and could potentially raise O’Sullivan’s profile as a cause.

The Detail team did note that the placement of the dual branding on the poster, of the Green Party and Green European grouping logos, could confuse observers. McBride suggested placing O’Sullivan’s name at the top of the poster instead.

“Relatively clear hierarchy of information although leading with dual branding is confusing and difficult to read at a height,” the group added, scoring it a 7 out of 10. Average score: 8.5/10

Labour Party’s Niamh Hourigan’s poster was the last banner our graphic designers audited. McBride said while it was similar to Sinn Féin’s design, the colour would give it a “good impact on a busy street”. 

The Detail designers said there was a clear hierarchy of information and a good use of colour, which communicates the party identity without having to see the Labour logo.

McBride added that the angled text gives the poster a “sense of energy and positivity”. His team rated the poster 8/10.

Niamh Hourigan (1) Niamh Hourigan (X) Niamh Hourigan (X)

Fahy said that Hourigan’s poster was “straight to the point” and he believed her messaging was communicated well.

“In terms of the design, it’s simple, but effective. It’s clear her main message is ‘putting you at the heart of Europe’ and the pop of blue really makes that message stand out,” he said.

Though admitting that he liked the poster, he believed it was a bit too simplistic, rating it a 7/10. Average score: 7.5

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.

 

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    Mute Mike Finnegan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 4:45 PM

    No mention of the fact that quite a few of them seem to be recycling their first communion pictures!

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jun 7th 2024, 9:39 AM

    @Mike Finnegan: The Irish public fear such ‘hoity’ imperial services like ‘Graphic Design’… as such the electioneering know they need to keep the standard low.

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    Mute Brian
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:11 PM

    So the Gold standard was Gina.. The design professional would have liked to have ‘seen darker coluring on the Vote 1 and For Europe’.. no mention of the fact CARBERRY is in white and clashes with her blouse and makes her name somewhat illegible.. or at best a bit wishy washy.. wouldn’t leave him design my kids birthday party invite.

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    Mute Mr Inbetween
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:38 PM

    @Brian: Have you seen Gina’s constituency office in Skerries? Fit for a Queen, in an area with very high rentals/prices. She’s done well for herself after her IT company failed by going into liquidation owing over 300k to creditors.

    117
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    Mute T S
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    Jun 6th 2024, 4:41 PM

    There’s one near me in Swords, looks like the chap superimposed a picture of a potato over a suit! Certainly caught my eye but it was also for a party I wouldn’t touch!

    And as for as those ones that just printed off a load of postcards and posted them out to every address under the sun without as much as a knock on the door, they ain’t getting a look in either!

    77
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    Mute SV3tN8M4
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    Jun 6th 2024, 6:24 PM

    The hypocrisy of the Greens & especially Pauline O Reilly, correx board posters everywhere, the carbon footprint in printing these & the fact that the posters break down into micro plastics, if you are going to demand change from everybody, you need to lead by example, not the Greens though.

    106
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    Mute Terry Molloy
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:12 PM

    Just think how many tents the taxpayer could have bought eh!

    69
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    Mute Seriously Really
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    Jun 6th 2024, 6:21 PM

    Excuse me… Can someone explain why a majority of the poster include #1 for canidates? I find it very odd.

    55
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    Mute Mr Inbetween
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    Jun 6th 2024, 7:11 PM

    @Seriously Really: The candidate depicted on the poster is asking/begging for you to vote them as their first choice on the ballot paper. Don’t put #1 beside everyone on the ballot paper as it will be deemed spoiled. Vote 1,2,3 etc all the way down or just vote for one candidate , it’s your vote.

    35
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    Mute Seriously Really
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    Jun 6th 2024, 7:36 PM

    @Seriously Really: I understand how voting works. However, why do they need to tell the public? Do candidates believe the public are idiots? That they don’t understand where to place #1?

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    Mute James Groden
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:10 PM

    Is this really an article that needs publishing?

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:54 PM

    @James Groden: An interesting article about a type of advertising poster design. Why not?

    98
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    Mute Andrew Harrington
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    Jun 6th 2024, 6:05 PM

    I hate the damn things. They are a distraction to drivers and make the place look like a kip. Blessington has the right idea. They banned them.

    138
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    Mute Pat Hazzard
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    Jun 6th 2024, 11:51 PM

    @Andrew Harrington: they are a sign of a functioning democracy, plus there are strict rules on their placement.

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    Mute Aibrean Aine
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    Jun 7th 2024, 6:01 AM

    @Pat Hazzard: who do you report them to when they are placed in a way to cause a road safety issue?

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    Mute Aibrean Aine
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:32 PM

    I’m curious are there any rules about blocking traffic lights with posters or putting posters at ground level at pedestrian crossings so children are not visible to motorists because they are blocked by the posters

    42
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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jun 7th 2024, 9:42 AM

    @Aibrean Aine: sure those lights are already blocked by other sinage anyway, the best on is the road sign on a junction so you cant see oncoming traffic, a classic. If we were to understand and allow ‘design’ to do it’s job, our services would be of a better standard, but alas while the Dutch were guilding and subsidising the entire design industry some 400 years ago we were drinking stew from a boot.

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    Mute Rafa C
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:51 PM

    None of them are good. Any with 5 or below get a 0 from me. And all the ones above that get 3 at most.

    I wouldn’t actually be bothered to put any effort into them. Just plonk the info on the page as supplied. Print and be done with it. That’s what a lot of them are doing.

    It really doesn’t matter. Then poster campaigns are a load of crap anyway.

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    Mute Keth Tgi
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    Jun 6th 2024, 7:24 PM

    If one collects enough posters, there’s a game of ‘Trump’ the card game right there. But the twist is: Highest points for the worst.

    40
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    Mute Shea Carroll
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:11 PM

    I was in Porto in northern Portugal last week. No Euro election posters to be seen anywhere. Saw a few large billboards ok. Not sure why no posters.

    34
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    Mute Nemethon
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:33 PM

    Perhaps the graphic designers should have taken a look at Local Wexford independent Cllr Leonard Kelly handmade posters he stuck with a promise of not using plastic posters he got wood from the Men’s shed in Wexford old paints and his wife and children who are artistic painted the wood board with representations of Leonard on them with varying slogans. The posters stand out from the ocean of plastic on the poles adorned by fake mugshots and empty words.

    25
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    Mute Dave Lawlor
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:34 PM

    Surely in this day and age we can send one leaflet out to homes with a QR code for people to scan, be taken to a website where you can find information about each candidate along with contact info and a policy summary. The posters and leaflets are a pure waste of money and the amount of cable ties strewn about the place is ridiculous.

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    Mute Eric Dignan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 10:13 PM

    They’re all rubbish , and scoring grace Sullivan the highest just proves how cringe this vox poll is

    34
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    Mute Gerard Hayden
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    Jun 6th 2024, 10:51 PM

    The John Waters posters were like something run up in the American old West.

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    Mute Mies Valkenburg
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    Jun 7th 2024, 3:56 AM

    @Gerard Hayden: Probably going for the ‘old outlaw’ look. He’s certainly got the hair.

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:10 PM

    I’d like to see a poster showing the candidate standing on the head. Another one could show a candidate doing dips and presses.

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    Mute Dylan Cotter
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:43 PM

    Be good to hear ad agency people critique them. A different view vs design agency people.

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    Mute Thomas Linehan
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    Jun 7th 2024, 6:50 AM

    Very bad for the envirenment. Politicians should know better
    Ban posters for future elections

    6
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    Mute rory curtis
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    Jun 8th 2024, 6:13 AM

    Posters for The Irish People party have very progressive design and branding. Worthy of a mention I would have thought. But I suppose editorial bias is involved in this article.

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