Clearly, tomorrow’s inauguration is a very big deal. I’m as excited as the next person about the social, political and historical significance of the event. However, as a designer, I’m also interested in another important aspect of the successful Obama campaign. This was a campaign as much about style as substance. It was a campaign that engaged and energized the creative community and proved why design matters — whether you’re pushing products or politics.

I work in an environment where I’m constantly challenged to prove the ROI of design…and defend against the buttoned up crowd who insist that design is nothing more than bells and whistles. But I emphatically assert that design matters. Design is personality, charm, approachability. It makes you want to know more. When done right, design is powerful, influential, motivating and inspiring. Thus, in honor of tomorrow’s historic celebration, I’ve compiled a list of Ten Examples of the Power of Design in Obama’s Campaign.

1. 30 Reasons
30 talented graphic designers present 30 reasons to vote for Obama via a viral poster campaign. From the website:

Our goal is simple: Use design to build a logical, multi-faceted argument for Obama and make it easy to share each reason with another person.

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2. Design/ers for Obama
Proving that poster art is not a dead medium, designers combine creativity and stunning aesthetics with powerful political messaging. Website visitors are encouraged to rate the designs and download their favorite Obama poster art in a variety of sizes for free print and distribution. From the website:

With the goal of supporting Barack Obama’s campaign for presidency, Design/ers for Obama will introduce new tools and opportunities to web-powered grass roots organizing that has already revolutionized campaigning.

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3. Things are Fine
Another collection of brilliant poster art, which reminds us how important our vote really is. The compelling campaign uses the same tongue-in-cheek tagline on every design, “Don’t Vote. Things are fine just the way they are.” From the website:

Take a look around. Our world needs a change. You can be that change. Vote. And encourage others to vote. Grab a poster. Print it. Spread the word.

4. Obamabats
Designer Jeff Domke presents a remarkable collection of 24 high-quality dingbats featuring Barack Obama and various design elements, offered completely free for download, distribution, use and modification. Inspired by Obama paintings/graffiti pieces on garage doors and old brick walls in Brooklyn, Jeff wanted to create a collection of graphics which would allow other creatives to build similar artwork. From the website:

Each dingbat was converted from photographs found on web using a combination of Adobe CS3 adjustment layers and live trace. The poster is just an example which I made in about six minutes using ObamaBats.

5. Print Liberation
Print Liberation is a full-service Philadelphia-based creative visual agency and the collective endeavor of Jamie Dillon and Nick Paparone who share a passion for print, design, and culture. They created some sexy swag promoting moveon.org, an organization focused on education and advocacy on important national issues. In addition to being a full service design company, they also have some pretty yummy ready made clothing and accessories for purchase in their online store — including some truly inspired Obama gear and politically-charged designs.

6. Runway to Change
At the official Obama website, you can browse the incredible online store for an idea of just how important a role design played in this election. The merchandise includes the Runway to Change Inaugural Collection, comprised of handbags and t-shirts designed by the creme da la creme of the fashion community. PIC spokesperson Brent Colburn said:

These designers have all offered their unique talents and vision to capture the excitement and anticipation around the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. We are very thankful for their designs and grateful for their contributions.

7. Logo Love
When you think about the Obama campaign, I defy you not to think about that iconic logo which successfully launched the powerful Obama brand. Never before has a political campaign been so visual — so brilliantly packaged and mass marketed. Sol Sender, who led a design team for the Obama 08 logo, was recently interviewed about the project. Get a revealing look into the design process as Sol walks through some of the initial logo concepts, providing his own personal insight along the way.

8. Sol’s Thoughts on Design
Change in Command, a website devoted to exploring the enormous impact of the historic inauguration from Crush+Lovely creative studio, includes a wonderful article from Sol himself on the influence of design in the Obama campaign and beyond. A brilliant excerpt from the article:

The principles of design can transcend graphic communications, user interface, industrial design and architecture. Good design is also the design of the good: clear, efficient, accessible; usable, sustainable, elegant; inventive; beautiful. Across all disciplines, design has the power to make the world more intelligible–easier to navigate, more inviting and engaging, more relevant and more meaningful.

9. Creative Inspiration
I came across this really interesting article by Kristin Gorski at The Huffington Post titled Obama Website Design Inspires Young Artists Support and Votes. It’s all about the sophisticated way Obama’s camp has used web-based grassroots campaigning to reach and engage a younger, more wired, more design savvy audience. By aligning the campaign with contemporary artists and empowering the creative community to share Obama-supporting imagery across the Web, Obama was able to rapidly and widely spread his message of change to a previously hard to reach voting demographic.

Something unique about the Obama campaign’s aesthetic message inspires confidence and trust in this art- and design-minded group. By placing such an emphasis on building a visually appealing brand, Obama is validating the importance of design in communication.

10. A Message of Hope
I discovered another gem on The Huffington Post written by Ben Arnon and titled How the Obama “Hope” Poster Reached a Tipping Point and Became a Cultural Phenomenon: An Interview With the Artist Shepard Fairey.

The large majority of people reading this post have seen this image before. This iconic image of Barack Obama, adorned on posters, stickers, clothing and more, was created by Los Angeles-based, contemporary street artist Shepard Fairey. This image has become a pop cultural phenomenon and an important symbol in the political landscape of 2008 and beyond. How did this image spread virally so quickly? Who was involved in making that happen?

I encourage you to read this incredible interview with the very talented mastermind behind one of the most compelling symbols of the Obama campaign, and check out the video below to hear Shepard talk about his inspiration and motivation.