Florida Senate Campaign Sign redesign for Rick Ashby

I was driving through Seminole County near Oviedo today and saw this horribly designed sign. To be fair, the company that printed it may have tried to talk the candidate out of doing something where almost nothing could be read. So why even do the campaign sign? He should not have.

It violates so many of my campaign sign design formulas. First, either first or last name should be full width. Second, almost nobody knows which district is which so why waste the space on the sign. Third, slogans are for brochures or large format signs. Fourth, if you are going to put a website don’t bother with the www. Finally, and most importantly, sign must be readable at 35 mph from your car. They just tried to cram too much stuff onto the sign and it could not be read read from 10 feet away. I think since I was a former very good political consultant, I could have talked them into most of my ideas/changes to his Florida Senate campaign sign.

I took off the website and stuff about the legislature all together. Something had to be sacrificed in order for this sign to be readable. I figured Healthcare and minimum Wage were his big deals. Notice I bolded $15 and did a reverse on the State Senate to keep the sign from being so completely and utterly boring. Rick is fine to be that small unless there was another Ashby on the ballot, which just is not likely.

You could argue to make a few changes to my redesign. One, he did not put that he is a Democrat in a multi-candidate primary. Some would say the Blue sign is a good indicator. But, it is a highly Republican district so I am ok with leaving the party off in case he wins the primary. Two, you might put “Engineer Rick” to contrast with two attorneys, and two community activists. I think most people think of engineers as clear thinkers which could be used in Tallahassee in my humble opinion.

Maybe if Rick wins the primary he will see this post and order some great political campaign yard signs for Florida State Senate.