The "Own Your Vote" installation focuses on the role of the graphic designer as a unifier of narratives within the spectrum of political conversations happening among independent voters—primarily communications that criticize partisanship and promote election reform through unifying unaffiliated voters. It adds to the traditional theories of propaganda and persuasion, the imperative to include advocacy, empathy, and human-centered methodology into the art studio of communication design—the only process that achieves a unified post-partisan visual narrative. It uses formal techniques such as black and white photography to symbolize neutrality, and a life-size scale to express the political impact of Americans gathered and empowered by a human collective—not party. When casting a ballot at the Own Your Vote installation, provocative conversations occur among ‘voters’ about where a vote really goes after it is cast depending on your personal perspective. This study beautifully reflects on historical American platforms of liberty and fraternity among the electorate using photographic history and the audience’s own voice. It expresses the enormity of people power when unifying citizens outside of the institutions of partisanship in order to progress as a nation.
