Early Voting is a Piece of Cake!
Early Voting Campaign across 7 University Dining Halls
Overview: Early Voting is a Piece of Cake! is a 9-day creative campaign implemented across 7 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor dining halls. The project encouraged students to vote early at the two on-campus satellite voting offices during the 2024 election season. Design deliverables included table tents, buttons, and large-scale freestanding countdown calendars.
Program: Creative Campus Voting Project
Advisor: Stephanie Rowden, Hannah Smotrich
Design Team: Yue Cai, Youjin Kim
Project Duration: OCT 2023 - NOV 2024
Keywords: Graphic Design, Creative Campaign,
Experience Design, Photography
Field Observation Summary
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95% of the dining hall users are students live on/off campus.
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Overall, it is a casual environment, though people’s pace varies throughout the day.
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The average time spent is about 30 minutes, with 20 minutes sitting at a table.
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Half the people came in as groups, mostly in pairs or triads.
Our Concepts
Based on field observations and conversations with MDining managers,
our team identified that having a themed campaign will effectively deliver
early voting information to students. Drawing on the squirrel as a widely
recognized University of Michigan campus icon, we incorporated it as
a recurring visual element across materials. An autumn-inspired color
palette was chosen to align with the fall semester timing of the event.
Project Objectives
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Increase student awareness of the early voting period
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Reduce first-time voters’ anxiety by providing clear information and guidance
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Drive student participation at the two on-campus satellite voting offices
First Iteration
Anchored at Bursley Dining Hall, we centered the campaign around the dessert station—typically located near
the main entrance and exit in most dining halls—while distributing supplementary materials throughout the space,
including table-based touchpoints. The pun-based slogan, “Early Voting is a Piece of Cake!”, was created to
establish an approachable and playful tone.
Below are materials developed in this design iteration. Click on the image to see more details.
Floor Plan (Bursley Hall)
Final Implementation
Taking budget and staffing constraints into account, for final implementation,
we consolidated the designs into the following components:
Event Posters
11 x 17 in
Mini Station at Entrance/Exit
At the station: Countdown calendar, stickers, and buttons
Dessert Station
Themed decorations & desserts
Way-finding Sign
By the dessert station
Table Tent & Napkin Holder Slip
At each table
4-sided Table Tent
At each table, paired with the Voter's Personality Quiz developed by the CCVP program.
Big Squirrel Stand
Served as the countdown calendar by the dessert stations.
1.5” Buttons
"GO VOTE!" button: distributed at the dining halls;
"I VOTED EARLY!" button: distributed at the on-campus satellite voting offices.
