The power of a poster. How graphic arts can bring people to vote
“Do not be silent! Do vote!” Or “Do vote! This time it matters again!” Or “Do not get frustrated! Let us go and vote!” And, finally, “On 20 October all roads lead to vote!”
These are the slogans displayed on the motivational posters developed by prize-winners of the Creative Workshop VotART, organised by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) and UNDP Moldova in Chisinau in mid-September.
The mission of VotART participants was to craft compelling posters encouraging the Moldovan citizens to vote on 20 October 2019. The professionals, graphics designers or drawers, who accepted the VotART challenge, targeted by their posters and messages the young people, as it is rather passive in elections compared to other categories.
Each of the 20 participants brought his or her own artistic vision about the election day and the importance of each vote. The competition was really tight and, in the end, the jury awarded five posters. Two posters were awarded first prize, one poster — second prize and other two posters — third prize.
What is social art for Irina Onicova?
At VotART, Irina Onicova got Prize I for her poster. At first glance, her work looks so simple and plain; however, it is compelling in calling citizens to vote and never stay silent.
Irina Onicova is a professional graphic designer. For three years, Irina creates art work for social impact. She is now engaged in a project offering the opportunity for 500 Moldovan women to join the IT field. This project makes Irina be proud of herself.
Before discovering her talent and passion for graphic arts, Irina had a long way to go. “In childhood, my sister bought me a journal telling about the life of Van Gogh and, of course, displaying some of his works. I tried then myself to copy and recreate each painting,” Irina said. Although she was aware of her passion for arts, she choose another career path at the University. “I chose a “safe” option, so I studied to become a realtor. However, after two years of hard word, I finally realized that role was not to me, and I needed to make a a change. So I switched for the the State Pedagogical University, Department of Fine Arts and Design. I am grateful for my parents’ understanding and support. I guess that was one of my best decisions I have ever taken,” smiles Irina.
She combined studies with involvement in several creative workshops, where she crafted amongst other social posters. So, VotART was another step forward to continue her mission as an artist, to change mindsets with the power of her visual art. “I felt good at VotART; it was well organised and involved talented people. I took my adrenaline dose for a few months ahead. I do hope my poster would bring people to vote. The idea of my poster being displayed across the country flatters a bit my professional self-pride,” concluded Irina Onicova.
VotART — a competition that releaved the talent of Andreea Bolea
Andreea Bolea is another VotART participant who got Prize I for her poster. Andreea told the voters that “on 20 October all roads lead to vote!”
“VotART is my first graphic design competition I embarked on. I have won no other prizes in this area. So far, VotART prize is my highest distinction and achievement,” said Andreea. By the way, Andreea reached 18 this autumn; so, she will vote for the first time on 20 October.
“My passion for graphic arts emerged during my secondary studies, so I started attending a creative school. Painting and drawing were my first areas to start with, and then I challenged myself with digital drawings. I stayed focused on my studies at the creative school as I developed the drawing techniques on my own, trying different materials and pursuing the online challenges,” said Andreea.
Andreea’s work does not end here as she is confident there are other opportunities lying ahead. “I have always believed that art is a society’s reflection, and over time it was used to influence what’s happening. So, if the art I craft may bring a change then I am eager and ready to do better than my best. And I do it in a great spirit, especially for the electoral field, as I am also a citizen of this country, and these processes affects me as well. I feel enthusiastic with people seeing my work! And as long as at least one person would be inspired by it to vote then the aim of this poster has been achieved,” notes Andreea.
“An Elephant in the Room” — a fictional character by Vlada Popa & Dan Nicorici Team
At VotART, Vlada Popa teamed up with Dan Nicorici and won Prize II. Their poster was distributed to public institutions across the country to encourage the citizens to vote on 20 October. The poster captures attention as it has an elephant right in the centre and the message “Do vote! This time it matters again!”
Vlada is specialized in cartoon making, so she choose this style for her poster. “I have always been passionate about cartoons. Following my studies at the Academic Fine Arts Lyceum, where I studied traditional painting and drawing, I went for a year to Romania, Cluj-Napoca, to study graphics at the University of Arts and Design. As a student, I was accepted as an intern by a cartoon studio. This is how my career stared,” told Vlada.
On several occasions, Vlada embarked on social projects and helped non-governmental organisations convey their messages with social impact. “I believe that designers and illustrators play an important role in conveying messages on different social causes and movements. In my opinion, the visual medium is favourable to disseminate ideas, issues or even calls to action. At VotART we had the opportunity, via our poster, to bring people to vote. This is a good example of combining illustrations with civic engagement. I am so glad our message would be distributed across the country to encourage people to vote,” concluded Vlada.
A few days later after the conclusion of VotART, Vlada and Dan came up with the initiative to develop cartoon video-spots with the same fictional character — the elephant in the room, to be shared through the social networks of CEC and UNDP Moldova .
The creative workshop VotART was yet another event organized by CEC and UNDP Moldova under the project “Enhancing democracy in Moldova through inclusive and transparent elections”, to demonstrate that young people, illustrators and designers, can contribute to organizing inclusive and transparent elections.
