When Is The Best Time To Order Campaign Signage?
Campaign yard signs are a valuable part of any election strategy. Even if you are not a fan of yard signs, they are a must-have if you are a political candidate. Your opponents will be using them, so you don’t want to be left out.
There are different opinions as to to when is the best time to put up your signs. Generally, you should put up your campaign signs between four to eight weeks before the primary or general election. This allows for enough time to build name recognition with voters. If you put your signs up too early, they may lose impact as voters become ‘blind’ to them. If you put campaign signs up too late, they may not get the exposure you desire.
Of course, before you can display your signs, you need to order them.
Key Takeaways
- Start the ordering process for your campaign yard signs about two months before you need them.
- Professionals recommend that you put up campaign signs four to eight weeks ahead of a primary or general election.
- Plastic or Play-bag Signs are affordable, cheap and easy to ship. Corrugated plastic signs hold up well against the elements.
- Putting a ‘rush’ on a sign printing job will just add stress and cost to the project.
When is the best time to order yard signs?
Ideally, you should start the ordering process about two months before you need them. Having your yard signs ready to go early will help avoid a lot of logistical problems. Normal sign production is about 5 days and shipping time can be anywhere between 1 to 4 days. To be safe you should give yourself a minimum of at least two weeks. That way you will have enough time to put them out.
Order your campaign signage at least two months before you need it. Don’t wait until two weeks before Election Day to order.
Whatever you do, don’t put off ordering until the last minute. Putting a ‘rush’ on a printing job will just add stress and cost to the project. It may also lead to unintended errors. It’s better to get your signs designed and ordered early. Then you will have the signs ready to put out when you need them.
You may want to place a few orders throughout the season or as you can afford them. Start with some standard 18×24 inch yard signs. Most printers allow for batches as small as 50. As people request your signs, you’ll get an idea of how many more you need. As the campaign goes on, you may want to buy more and larger signs, like 4×8 foot road signs or billboards.
[bctt tweet=”Yard signs are part of your #political campaign’s branding. Make the most of them. http://ow.ly/wYTS30gBlRy”]
What type of yard signs should you order?
Candidates and organizations often struggle with the type of sign to purchase. There are basically three types of yard signs for political campaigns: plastic bag, corrugated plastic, and double-sided cardboard.
Here are the pros and cons each type of sign:
- Plastic or Play-bag Signs are affordable, cheap and easy to ship. They are basically plastic sleeves that can be slipped over U-shaped wires. The down side is that they tend to sag over time on their frames. And they do not work well as wall signs.
- Corrugated Plastic (poly coated) Signs holds up well against the elements and are easy to handle. They are most cost effective if a candidate runs often and is committed to the same message and look. They generally slide right over their metal frame. However, a light colored sign might not be entirely opaque. They tend to be a bit more expensive than other types of signs. They are also the most easily stolen.
- Double-Sided Cardboard Signs come in all shapes and sizes. They are double-sided and are stapled or glued to their frames. They easily double as wall signs. However, they don’t hold up as well in rough weather as plastic signs.
Your choice should be determined by your priorities such as price, quantity and re-usability.
Tips for designing effective political signs
Over time, a single campaign sign can be seen by hundreds or even thousands of people. Multiply that effect by the total number of yard signs promoting a campaign, and you have a powerful way to build candidate name recognition. Since all advertising is an extension of your brand, you’ll want your signs to look professional.
Here are some design tips to keep in mind:
- Consider creating a campaign logo early. Stick with a single logo. You may want to go with a block-style font, as script is harder to read. Use your campaign logo in your brochures and mailers to build a consistent ‘brand’.
- Generally, the candidate’s last name should be the largest element. The office running for should also be included, but can be somewhat smaller.
- Do not put too much information on the sign. They are generally read by motorists passing by. At best, you have only a few seconds to relay your message. Phrases ‘Re-Elect’ and ‘Vote For’ are basically redundant.
- Consider using at least two colors. This will increase the impact of the sign. Red, white and blue are traditional favorites. Other combos of color such as black and red or blue and yellow can work well, too.
- Don’t make your yard signs too small. A typical yard sign is 12” x 24”, but going for 18” x 24” or larger signs can produce more impact.
What is the visual impact?
You will only have a few seconds of a viewer’s attention, so the key to a good political sign content is for it to stand out. It should contain a short, memorable phrase with the candidate’s name and office like “Vote for Smith” or “Smith for Judge”.
Your signs should be readable and have high contrast of dark and light. Most political logos are readable in this way. Your sign design should match your other campaign materials such as your brochures and campaign website. Yard signs are part of your campaign’s branding, so it’s not a place to get overly creative.
When should you put up your campaign signs?
Many professionals recommend that you put up your campaign signs four to eight weeks ahead of the primaries or general election. If you display your campaign signs too early, they may lose their effectiveness and not have as much impact. If you put them up too late in the season, you will miss out on potential exposure and not have as much of an effect on your election chances.
You can coordinate putting out signs with your other advertising to help maximize voter impact.
When putting out your signage, follow the rules
Before you put up any yard signs, check your local election rules on where and when you can put out campaign signs. There may be restrictions on sizes, as well. You should also know when your signs must be taken down. (It’s usually within a week of Election Day.)
Check with your election board about sign placement near polling locations on Election Day. Some districts allow for signs, while others don’t. If your district allows signs, there will be specific regulations as to the size and distance from the polling place. You will also want to have enough signs available to place on Election Day.
Whether you are campaigning for mayor, sheriff, judge, school board member or even a state senator, a smart campaign sign strategy will boost your chances of victory.
How to dispose of old campaign signs
Once the election is over, the campaign signs remain. Here are ways to get rid of your old signage.
- Recycle your cardboard signs. Wire frames can be recycled or used for other purposes.
- Plastic signs can be painted and reused for other purposes.
- If your signs are not date-specific, they can saved for the next election.
- See more ideas on what to do with old political signs.
While we’re on the subject of recycling, be sure to recycle all of your campaign’s print material, except for the material that you might want to keep in a swipe file.
Related posts:
The Importance of Using Checklists in Campaigns
Checklists are powerful tools in campaigns. Checklists turn completely green volunteers into competent workers. Checklists ensure quality and help staff manage themselves instead of using precious resources managing employees. The opportunities to use checklists in campaigns are nearly endless!
Campaigns lend themselves to checklists because there is a series of logical steps towards the end of goal of victory. Smart candidates and staff can systematize these steps and develop checklists to keep the process moving. The difference between well run and poorly run campaign is the difference between a campaign that has a plan and a system and one that doesn’t.
The difference between a good campaign and a great campaign is the difference between how well the campaigns execute on their system.
Feel free to take this Field Event Checklist template and make it your own:
Location
_ Secure location one week before the date of the event or as soon as a date is decided by the candidate or a third party
_ Make sure an outside location has an alternative rain location
Crowd building
_ Determine the size of the room.
_ Make sure you are able to fill the room
_ Have an estimated hard count before hand
_ Call local officials at least two days before the event
Visuals
_ Signs
_ Banners
_ Stickers
_ Constituent group specific packets or handouts
_ Sign in sheet
_ Microphone
_ Podium
Price
_ Get budget approval of the final price five days prior to the event
_ Save invoices for all purchases
_ Events including food should not exceed $5.00 per person unless approved beforehand
Press
_ Press risers if necessary
_ Press advisory day before event
_ Take pictures
_ Email pictures to campaign press contact
_ Press release no later than 24 hours following the event
Follow up checklist
_ Follow up with phone calls and emails within two days of the event
_ Make copies of the sign in sheet
_ Enter sign in sheet data into database program
_ Send a copy of the sign in sheet to campaign contact to send out thank you notes
A staffer or a volunteer using a checklist like this one fill find it simple to organize a successful field event. Integrate checklists into your campaign like you have likely already integrated scripts for fundraising asks and scripts for the field. Scripts are to words as checklists are to processes. Winning campaigns rely on them just as much.
- Related: Checks To Make When Launching Your Campaign Website
- Political-Campaign-Checklist-For-Candidate [PDF]
For more checklists, tips, tricks and useful strategies, check out Running For Office as an Online Candidate. Our exclusive book provides a blueprint for candidates to use the web as part of an overall campaign strategy.
When a State Flag or Local Emblem Causes Trouble
Are you planning to spruce up your campaign website with a dash of local flavor, like your state flag or a municipal emblem? Well, hold on, because you might be stepping on a legal landmine without even knowing it.
It’s possible that the state flag or local municipal emblem you want to include in your campaign website might become a problem with the election board. Using state or local graphics may violate local election laws.
Laws vary on rules regarding the use of official symbols on political websites and campaign material. Many candidates opt for landmark or scenic images in their website headers. Other candidates who choose to include a background image of their state flag or municipal emblem.
Campaigns that want to design their sites with flag or emblem images should double-check for any state or local regulations on how those emblems can be used in campaign materials. (We often use these emblems as subtle background watermarks.) Laws and regulations vary, and it’s better to do things right the first time than to get called out later for an infraction.
The same issue can apply to official county seals or seals of local government. For example, candidates may be prohibited from using a sheriff’s department insignia or badge. If you’re a candidate with a military background, there are restrictions on when you can strut your stuff in uniform for political purposes. Judges tend to have the heaviest restrictions on what insignias and imagery they can use.
As an aside, we encountered a reverse situation a few years back. During a local election, an incumbent actually put his head shot into the website header of the town website, essentially branding the municipal website for his own purposes. After some public outcry, the head shot was removed.
What’s at stake? If you ignore local election laws, you’re asking for trouble and could even face legal repercussions. Fines, penalties, and possibly the loss of credibility. It’s not a game you want to play lightly.
Before you go wild with those state flags and emblems, make sure you understand your local election laws inside and out. We can’t stress this enough. Avoid being the candidate that lands in hot water for a graphic blunder.
In a nutshell, keep your campaign materials compliant, your designs captivating, and your reputation intact. It’s not hard, but it’s a critical part of having a clean and successful campaign!
For more campaign tips and ideas, check out OnlineCandidateResources.com. Access is free for Online Candidate campaign website clients.
Designing a Winning Political Logo – Tips and Ideas
A great logo design is central to a political candidate’s branding. It must be unique and stand out enough to establish a candidate to a wide audience. A well-designed political logo is a major element in projecting a professional brand in the minds of voters. Your branding can be a crucial component to fundraising and building a following.
Campaign logos provide a visual identity. They can be used on yard signs, candidate brochures, direct mailings, palm cards, video ads and all other forms of political advertising. An amateur-looking design reflects poorly on your candidacy and will keep voters from taking you seriously.
Table of Contents
- Political Logo Design Tips
- Current Design Trends
- Making Your Own Political Logo
- Sheriff Campaigns
- Judicial Campaigns
- School Board Campaigns
- Who Will Make Your Logo?
Our custom political website packages include professional logo creation – AND we’ll provide a FREE high-res version for your print materials.
House of Representatives logo example with graphic in the design.
Tips for creating a winning campaign logo
One of the first steps to establishing your campaign branding is to invest time in your logo design. Employing visual elements such as color and fonts help voters understand your message and helps project a clear and consistent message.
Here are some tips to achieve the best look and layout when making a campaign logo.
Incorporating typography and text
Sans-serif fonts tend to dominate political communication. That’s no surprise, as sans-serif fonts tend to appear more conventional and project stability. Serif fonts, on the other hand, tend to appear more happy and casual. Script lettering is much harder to read and may not translate as well to print.
Here the first letter of the logo has been changed to a checkbox.
Choosing the right campaign colors
Choose your logo colors carefully. Many of our clients pick a red/white/blue flag color scheme. State or local candidates often match their state flag colors. Black and white or yellow are the most common colors for judges, sheriff, and law enforcement candidates. Odd colors like purple or pink may get attention but may also distract from the overall messaging.
Campaign logo for city council in yellow and green colors sets it apart from the traditional political red and blue.
In the United States, it is traditional for political logos to have a red, white and blue color scheme. Blue is more popular for Democratic candidates, whereas red is significantly preferred by Republicans. To stand out, third party candidates often use other colors like green or orange.
The psychology behind branding
There is a psychology behind brand design. For example, the way a brand is designed with color can have a big effect on how voters see a candidate. For example, blue is often associated with trust, loyalty, and professionalism. In contrast, red is often associated with excitement, passion, and urgency.
Even the choice of font can influence how voters think of a candidate. Serif fonts, for example, are often associated with tradition. Using a traditional serif font in your logo may make you appear more reliable, established, and trustworthy.
Sans-serif fonts are often associated with modernity and simplicity. Sans-serif fonts are often used in websites and apps and are considered more legible in smaller sizes. Using sans-serif fonts in your logo can communicate a sense of innovation and progressiveness for your campaign.
These are just a few examples of the psychology behind brand design. By understanding how your voters might perceive these different design elements, your campaign can create a brand identity that will identify with your target voting block and help your stand.
Use symbols for better logo branding
Know the rules. Political campaign design often incorporates patriotic symbols or icons, such as an eagle, stars, political party symbols or state flags. You might not be able to include political party logos, either. There may be local rules or laws that prohibit what can appear on signage or campaign websites. Learn the restrictions on what you can and cannot include in your branding, so you don’t run into problems later.
Keep consistency in your design
Once you have your logo designed, don’t change it halfway through the race. A good part of voter branding is in your logo, and if you change it at some point, you’ll lose much of that connection.
NOTE: Your existing campaign logo design may not translate well to web. If you already have your print material created, it will probably need to be tweaked a bit to make it work online. For example, your design may have a border on it. That may look great on a sign, but it may look blocky when used in a website header. Sometimes we will remove borders or tweak the layout to flow better with a candidate’s head shot or background image.
The goal of great political design is for the average voter to immediately recognize your brand no matter where they see it.
Designing your own political logo
We strongly advise having someone with graphic design experience create your politician logo. Some people think they can save money and make a logo themselves, but often the results are amateurish. There may be spacing issues, or graphics not integrated well with the text, or layout is just too long or too tall. Sometimes the graphic element goes too far and makes the image look too complicated.
The best political campaign logos are simple enough to stand out, without being complicated with unnecessary elements.
Free campaign logo design tools
Free logo makers can sometimes do the job. They often include basic templates. But the image editor in a logo maker is only as good as the person using the tool. Also watch out – free logo generators only provides a low-res graphic for you. This can work fine for web purposes, but will look blurry in print. You’ll need to pay for a higher-resolution version that will scale for your printed materials, such as signs or brochures.
For inspiration, check out our own political logo examples.
The “Hope” image, designed by artist Shepard Fairey, became an iconic image during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Current political graphic trends
The Center for American Politics and Design (CAPD) collects branding designs for US House, Senate, Presidential and Gubernatorial races. The archive is a tool that allows users to filter and examine different graphic elements. It has been updated to 2020.
There has been more use of script and signature logos in recent years. They can be eye-catching, but should be used carefully so they remain legible.
Image and graphic elements are also added for visual interest. Incorporating a flag, state or federal building or even a state graphic is something we’ve done for years. Visual elements such as heartbeats for doctor candidates and bells and shields for ex-military candidates have become more common. We’ve seen an expansion in these types of elements in recent years.
Boxes are still popular, and they’ve increased in popularity with Republicans – especially the stars along the top border. These work well for sign use, but sometimes it’s better to remove the outer box for online use, especially in the site header. Sometimes, the box is slanted at an angle, which gives the design a sense of movement and energy. This look started gaining popularity with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 House of Representatives campaign. It’s been imitated by other progressive candidates, including a number of our own clients.
Some politicians perform a brand refresh between election campaigns. Here are a few examples:
Sheriff Logos – Stars and Badges
Campaign logos for sheriffs tend to be ‘blocky’ with large lettering. Black, gold and white tend to be popular colors for law enforcement candidates. Sheriff logos often incorporate a six-point badge of some type (but not an official government badge). Sheriff candidates are often not allowed to even appear in promotional material wearing official law enforcement uniforms or insignias. Any badges that are used are often generic, or with identifying text removed.
Related: Sheriff Campaign Logo Design
Judicial Logos – Gavels and Scales
Logos for judges tend to be clean. They may have a gavel integrated into the logo, or there might be scales of justice worked in. Judicial logos tend to be dark and serious. Block lettering is standard. As they are nonpolitical, a judge logo is typically not the usual red, white and blue in traditional US politics. The overall look of the print materials and website tend to carry the look of a law firm – lots of blacks and whites with the occasional accent of color.
Related: Judicial Campaign Logo Design
School Board Logos – Mortar Boards and Apples
Simple images within a campaign logo can help tell a story. For example, an apple in a logo suggests a candidate for school board.
Logos for school board candidates can vary widely. They may often incorporate books, mortar boards or apples into them. School board logo colors often match the local high school or primary educational facility. If you have a particularly large school or high school that dominates the district, you may want to incorporate those particular colors into your branding.
Related: School Board Campaign Logo Design
Who Will Make Your Logo?
Many smaller campaigns have their logo created by a print shop when they produce their first mailing. Others may have a volunteer make a design, or hire a professional graphic designer to do the job.
No matter who creates the design, you will want to have a high-resolution version to use for other purposes. This means the image is saved at 300 dpi in a jpg, tif, png, or eps format. High resolution makes it better for print pieces, such as mailers and signs.
Some of our clients already have their design assets when start their website. If client does not have one, or wants a better one, we will create a logo for them.
For graphic artists, we also provide customizable design templates. We offer downloadable Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop logo templates and a variety of Canva political logos.
Our Regular and Enhanced Political Website Packages includes free custom logo design and header. We’ll also provide high-res version for your print material. Why pay hundreds to have a designer do this? We’ll make one for you – and it’s included with your website.
Squeezing The Most From Your Campaign Landing Pages
In the world of online marketing, building a targeted email list allows the merchant to market their product and service to this select group with a higher degree of success. The same technique applies to political email marketing.
In this article, we are going to lay out the basics of the ‘Squeeze Page‘. Basically, a Squeeze Page is a single web page designed with the sole purpose of making someone do a particular thing. There are little or no distractions on the page. Direct response marketing techniques are used. These include the use of a headline, bullets, teaser copy, deadlines, incentives and testimonials to influence the visitor to buy/subscribe/sign up for more information.
What works for businesses can work for political marketers. Here are the basic page copy components of a squeeze page:
- Headline
- Explanation
- Request – and who it is from.
- Bullets listing why the person should take action.
- Request for action
- Reassurance
For our first example, we’re going to lay out a sample squeeze page for our Online Candidate email list. The same techniques apply if you are trying to get people to sign up for a campaign email list, to volunteer or even make a donation.
Learn ‘Secrets’ That Political Candidates Use To Gain Advantages Over Their OpponentsSubscribe to our email list for free ideas and tips that will help you win your local election.When you register for the Online Candidate Newsletter, you’ll discover secrets like…
Just fill in your First Name, Primary Email in the form below. All information kept 100% confidential). Allow the next page a few seconds to load with instructions on verifying your subscription. We will NOT rent, trade, or release your name to any third party for any reason – ever. We respect YOUR email privacy. |
That’s it. Would you sign up for the newsletter? Was it compelling? If that was the only content on the page, it would have been even more effective. Now, let’s try a candidate contribution squeeze page with a different focus. The [bracketed text] would be actual information.
Show [Political Opponent] Just How Strong We AreLast week, [Political Opponent] voted to [do something terrible that hurt the community]. Now the people of [Location] are saddled with [something awful]. Let’s show him in [November] that we won’t take this lying down! – Help me inform voters about who [Opponent] really is. We have a responsibility to push back against [Opponent] because his long pattern of behavior [contradicts his campaign message].
Contribute $10, $25, $50 or $100 to my campaign by clicking the button below. Every contribution makes a difference! {DONATION BUTTON} Your information is secure. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, address, occupation and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed [$$$] per election cycle. Contributions or gifts to [Candidate] are not tax deductible |
And there you go. With a little work and some persuasive copy writing techniques, you can turn your online marketing into a powerful tool. Another great thing about the squeeze page technique is that it also works well for email messages.
Save time and money with our Campaign Letter Templates, which includes press releases, fundraising and volunteer letter templates and more. Visit our Download Store.
Why Your Political Campaign Domain Name(s) Really Matter
To paraphrase The Bard, “What’s in a name?” When it comes to acquiring domain names for political campaigns, it can mean a lot. Choosing the wrong name or failing to get the right name can cause problems for many candidates.
Political cybersquatting is pretty common, with speculators hoping to cash in buying domain names. Sometimes this can even trickle down to the local level, where someone buys the domain name of a potential political candidate. They hope to sell it back to the campaign for a profit.
Some political domain-related fiascoes include:
- Rand Paul paid over $100,000 for his domain name RandPaul.com just before he launched his bid for the presidency.
- Ted Cruz used tedcruz.org as his official presidential campaign website. Unfortunately, he did not own tedcruz.com. Those who bought that domain put up a very different message.
- When Carly Fiorina announced her presidential candidacy, it turns out that her campaign failed to buy CarlyFiorina.org. Now it’s owned by someone else and filled it with 30,000 sad faces to represent the people Fiorina laid off when she was CEO at Hewlett-Packard.
Unless your own campaign is high-profile or particularly contentious, it doesn’t make sense to register every available domain extension and variant. But if you can afford it and you think it may prevent a real problem, then go for it.
However, registering 3,643 website domains is probably overkill.
Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute to figure out your online strategy. Even if you wait to launch a website, it’s a good idea register your campaign domain name ahead of time.
A few years back, we saw a case where the signs and print items had been printed listing the domain name of a website that did not exist. A lot of money had been spent. Fortunately, the name was available and we were able to secure it without a problem. These days, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to rely on your second or third choice backup name.
Tips for choosing the best campaign website name:
- The .com extension is your best bet. If you can get your ‘firstnamelastname.com‘ domain, you’ve won the domain lottery!
- Avoid a year or position in the domain name if you plan to keep the domain throughout your political career.
- If you want the .org of a name, make sure you can also get the .com version.
- Check that a .org version of your website does not exist yet. If it does, it may show up in future searches for your .com site.
- Registering .org of a domain name is usually not necessary unless it is a high-profile race.
- If you have a commonly-mistyped name, it’s a good idea to purchase a variant domain – both for users and to keep a potential cyber-squatter from cashing on typos.
- If you have a nickname or an opposing candidate has a nickname they use about you, consider purchasing that as well. Do this more as a defensive measure.
- It never hurts to get domain name variants. You can always redirect additional names to your main website.
If you manage to get a good domain name that can be reused for future campaigns, consider keeping it registered. If you let the name lapse, someone else can pick it up and use it for an altogether different purpose.
If your domain has a been around for a few years and has a large number of backlinks, consider pointing the website name to another site you control. Otherwise, there’s a good chance your high-authority domain will end up being used for another site and flipped for a profit.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Political Domains and Hosting – What You Need To Know
Related: 5 Things To Know About Your Campaign’s Domain Name
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