https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-09-27 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/take-the-step-a-nonpartisan-poster-promoting-midterm-voting monthly 0.5 2026-10-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/f0947716-4b47-4d27-8311-c72a59e75bcb/Take+The+Step+Poster_Audrey+Schultz_Final.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - The Project Midterm elections see lower voter turnout, but they are just as important as presidential elections. According to Ballotpedia, the 2022 midterm elections saw a 20.4% decrease in eligible voter turnout rates compared to the 2020 presidential election. In my Design of Visual Images course at Elon University, I was assigned to design a nonpartisan poster promoting voting in the upcoming 2026 midterm election. Some guidelines for the poster were that it needed to be 11×17 inches in portrait orientation, use a provided AIGA GOTV template at the bottom, and promote a nonpartisan message. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531906754-RMKXC33VM2TOIV5LR722/Midterm+Poster+sketches+Too+Many+Steps%3F.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Too Many Steps? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531907778-CIFSEAA15VFPTQRJXA8E/Midterm+Poster+sketches+What%27ll+You+Put+on+Your+Plate%3F.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - What'll You Put on Your Plate? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531905620-RL4AHJ7ZHIXPI0HJJPNI/Midterm+Poster+sketches+Democra-SEE.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Democra-SEE https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531906629-92ZHRYJGON5G4V8B54NR/Midterm+Poster+sketches+Take+Your+Pick.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Take Your Pick https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531905587-YLBPU26T9FYF1YI8NEBI/Midterm+Poster+sketches+Midterms%3F+Yeah%2C+US+Too.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Midterms? Yeah, U.S. Too https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531802827-9BQPIXO0V1F0QNY00LQG/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-03.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Blue "VOTE" The word “VOTE“ used to be blue before I changed it to gold. The blue was balanced design wise, but after talking to peers, I realized it didn’t feel nonpartisan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531804741-D795OUC4U2425DB3V8WN/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-07.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Gold "VOTE," Open Door & "Take the step." The gold color allows the poster to keep a nonpartisan feel. At this stage, I added the open door and frame, which I made from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. I also wordsmithed the message after talking with peers. “Too many steps?“ created an unintentional sense of overwhelm. “Take the step.“ created an action for the viewers to consider. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531805721-7G83YM45G0GI6X3SWVNT/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-09.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - All-Caps, Typeface & Step Colors At this stage, I changed “TAKE THE STEP.“ to be all caps and a serif typeface to more accurately match the tone of the poster. I also changed the order of the red and white on the steps. Now, the bottom step is red, providing better contrast with the gold “VOTE.“ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531807969-D2EUO0AC2FRU30H0X7X2/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-13.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - "TAKE THE STEP" & Door Direction I realized that the period at the end of “TAKE THE STEP” made the message sound too demanding. The lack of the period adds a more welcoming but commanding feel. I changed the direction that the door opened, switching the opening from left to right. This detail replicates the direction that most doors open inward in real life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531809536-5F3WUATVBW827QKRKLDO/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-16.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Ombre Background The black background felt too intimidating and void-like. I wanted the design to make it seem like going through the door was an important thing to do. The radial ombre light effect makes the design more welcoming and emphasises the doorway. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/1790531810725-YP15O1KV61S5E6ZE72MS/Midterms+Matter+Poster+drafts-18.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - Light Rays I added the light rays to create a sense of texture to the background and significance for the door. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/f0947716-4b47-4d27-8311-c72a59e75bcb/Take+The+Step+Poster_Audrey+Schultz_Final.png Blog - Take the Step: A nonpartisan poster promoting midterm voting - The Product The overall brief message of the poster is easy to understand at a glance, and a closer look reveals a multilayered call to action. This makes the poster effective in busy settings, especially college campuses. All of these design elements, which I created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator, make voting in the midterm elections feel like an active choice and a meaningful step forward for young potential voters. https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/8uayhf62b7w2tqmk8rc8j4lpf6zfvf monthly 0.5 2026-10-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/82fe66df-015b-4d73-bef6-bfeb82369aaf/Audreys+Professional+Email+Signature+Design Blog - Design the perfect professional email signature in 6 steps - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/3-found-examples-of-dairs-rules-for-typographical-contrast monthly 0.5 2026-09-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/f6f81f2d-bc2b-4c4d-8d50-c5170f121dc5/Dear+Evan+Hansen+Poster.jpeg Blog - Real-world uses of Carl Dair's rules for typographical contrast - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/10b5be1c-1aa2-4ccc-9d58-ff2d05abb830/The+Singer%27s+Musical+Theatre+Anthology.jpg Blog - Real-world uses of Carl Dair's rules for typographical contrast When analyzing the above design of “The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology” for Dair's rules, I would consider it a poor example of typographic contrast. This design feels very cramped, and the typographic contrast is a contributor. The kerning (the spacing between two characters) on the word “THE” is too wide. It makes “THE” read as separate elements rather than a word, especially with the dots in between the letters. The increased size contrast of the “S” at the end of “Singers” also comes off as distracting and maybe unnecessary. Given the context of the design, that design choice does not make sense. Leaving that ending letter “S” smaller or lowercase would leave breathing room and white space in the design. I also would suggest using some lowercase letters in the title to add more contrast in its form. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/d10574c0-da9f-4eed-a238-477d358058e2/The+Lion+King Blog - Real-world uses of Carl Dair's rules for typographical contrast - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/exploring-surprising-ways-that-writing-helps-designers-think monthly 0.5 2026-09-02 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Brainstorming monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Vote monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Outlook monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Editing monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Midterm+Elections monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Contrast monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Rules monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Typography monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Professional monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Poster monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Email+Signature monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/AIGA monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Graphic+Design monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Nonpartisan monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/blog/tag/Carl+Dair monthly 0.5 https://www.audreyeschultz.com/whos-audrey daily 1.0 2026-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/7257edca-8109-4f2d-98bc-81f689385a02/51664AA6-0920-441B-9D5C-B7A084F591DF_1_105_c.jpg https://www.audreyeschultz.com/davids-annual-triathlon-dat-sticker-design daily 0.75 2026-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/a5eb9a05-0ef6-49ba-b7f7-1b6fb25de376/DAT+2026++Final+%28Stickers+%28Oval%29+%28Landscape%29%29.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/3d3d9b0b-7728-4c8b-a407-69c31dcf9db4/IMG_0272.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/27f43a69-b12f-463a-8925-d8e11ab3f373/IMG_2499.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/5dbaa615-a59c-4906-86f4-383af66a9d67/DAT-07.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/db37d678-dc3e-4c22-a9ea-0efee37718dd/DAT-06.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/dd812f0b-1cf4-4b6c-a61f-4e1224952c62/DAT-05.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/b34b64ad-1d01-4909-bc70-57e51b000cac/DAT-08.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/480210a0-3aa2-434a-9d81-e4ad006909bb/DAT-09.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69b9f464dd6df352a0a96029/f9c79bf6-a71a-4ba8-8e30-be05b135c957/IMG_3841.jpeg