Designing Democracy: The Role of Graphic Design in Immigrants’ Electoral Engagement

Abstract

In Norway, there has been a consistently low participation rate in local elections among immigrants over the past decade, despite being granted the right to vote. This issue has been documented by the National Statistical Institute of Norway and local news channels such as the National Public Broadcaster (NRK) and Aftenposten. As a graphic designer, my aim is to contribute positively to addressing this issue by educating and persuading voters.

For my master’s thesis, I developed a product - an advertising campaign - that aims to encourage immigrants in Norway to participate in local elections. The campaign includes various channels such as static and animated posters, billboards, newspapers, magazines, and online advertisements. It also offers educational materials such as leaflets, how-to videos, and social media promotional items, including posts, stories, reels, carousels, etc. Additionally, there are video commercials, information booths, and installations. My objective is to educate and convince voters from diverse backgrounds to exercise their right to vote.

To frame my campaign, I divided my project into four phases. In phase one, I interviewed immigrants to gain insights into their awareness and perspectives on the Norwegian electoral system. In phase two, I collaborated with Likestillingssenteret (The Centre for Equality) to organise a workshop, share the insights from phase one with local representatives, and gather their feedback. In phase three, I developed the campaign based on the objectives defined by the earlier collected data. In phase four, I tested the efficiency and alignment of the campaign with the objectives by presenting the media to some immigrants from phase one. I also reviewed whether the new material was helpful and informative to them. Findings from phase four indicate that the designed campaign is highly relevant and effective in educating and motivating immigrants, and encouraging them to learn more about local elections.

In closing this thesis, I make some recommendations on how the campaign can be improved before actual implementation. Furthermore, I conclude with some reflective thoughts on how my involvement in this project has helped me develop my knowledge, skills, and competence.