How we used stickers to create a political campaign that sticks with people.

Zachary Townend was a first-time candidate who intended to run a grassroots, independent, self-run, and self-funded campaign to represent Ashburton and Glen Iris as Councillor for Solway Ward. Zach wasn’t from the usual political mould. He wanted to make local politics feel more human and connected, bridging the gap between politics and the people it was meant to serve. That was when he approached us to build a campaign identity that could reflect those values.

But stepping into local politics as a newcomer is never easy. Most voters were already familiar with long-standing names and well-established campaigns. Almost every campaign looked like it came from the same playbook. Stiff portraits, heavy slogans, and colours borrowed from old party playbooks. The boring Liberal blue, the predictable Labor red, and the now overused independent teal. It felt like everyone had printed from the same campaign starter kit. You could swap the names and barely notice the difference. It was politics by copy-paste, like every candidate had used the same Canva template on repeat.

We knew the only way forward was to break out instead of blend in.
To make being new feel like an advantage, not a limitation.

It all started with Let’s Back Zach. The line felt simple and real, something you’d say to a friend, not a politician. It made the campaign feel human and easy to connect with. It wasn’t about grand slogans or big promises. It was about belonging to something and rooting for one of your own.

That everyday language set the tone for the campaign. It made politics feel closer to people, less formal and more open. Instead of speaking at voters, it invited them to take part. It was a simple line with purpose.

Each version followed the same structure and rhythm, allowing the message to change without losing recognition. It could read Townend for Solway, Zachary Townend, or any other phrase the campaign needed. The strength of the system was in its consistency, keeping the identity recognisable even as the words changed. The same movement, proportion, and slant kept everything connected, making it instantly identifiable as part of Zachary’s campaign.

This approach made production faster and smarter. The campaign could adapt to new issues, events, or elections without starting over. Whether on posters, online, or out in the community, the design stayed flexible and instantly familiar. From there, the visual language grew naturally.

We built a campaign visual language that looked nothing like what people usually saw at elections. It was designed to stand out in a sea of predictable colours and layouts. It needed to break the pattern but still feel like it belonged to the people it spoke to.

Bold, clear typography kept everything direct and readable. The rising slant added a sense of movement and momentum. It felt professional yet full of life; a true piece of community-centred design.

The campaign needed a way to spread ideas quickly and make them feel personal. Stickers became the answer, turning election campaign branding into something simple and easy to share. Each one carried a message people instantly related to. They turned promises into conversations and brought energy to every touchpoint. The quick-to-execute idea also gave Zach’s team a fast, repeatable way to create new visuals.

The Mission Stickers focused on issues that mattered most to voters and ones Zach genuinely aimed to work towards. Each one carried a single goal like protecting parks, improving sports infrastructure, or supporting small businesses. They appeared across campaign materials as small pieces of advocacy, making every issue visible and relatable. This approach helped the campaign grow through shared causes, not slogans.

The Slogan Stickers expressed Zachary’s core values in short, simple lines. Visually, they were more compact, shaped like angled speech bubbles that felt quick, sharp, and conversational. They spoke about the kind of community he wanted to build, one that was open, supportive, and fair. They were easy to print and place anywhere, and whether used alone or with the main campaign unit, they kept the message strong and consistent.

Two young teams taking a chance on each other, trusting that if the intent is right, the message will reach the people it’s meant to.