Top 10 election design guidelines

There has been a major movement in the design world from the beginning of the 2008 election campaigns to make government policy, particularly elections, more legible, understood, and coherent.  AIGA (the professional association for design) posted these Top 10 election design guidelines.


1) Use lowercase letters


2) Avoid centered type
* Left-aligned type is more legible.  I didn't know this.  It is better for the reader to not have to search for the beginning of the type on each line.


3) Use big enough type
* This may seem obvious but the "fine print" seems to push people away.  It makes people feel like they are being taken advantage of or intimidate them.  The last thing we need are alienated and scared voters.


4) Pick one sans-serif font
* For those of you who are not designers and read this out of you're support for me, San-Serif means any type with out the little edges that come off of every edge of a letter.  Examples are:  Ariel, Helvetica, Myriad.  Serif font examples are:  Times New Roman, Garamond, and Badoni.  


5) Support process and navigation
*This simply means that if you are going to use a complicated process give substantial instructions.  Make sure all paper ballots have appropriate numbering and labels.  Make sure touchscreen voting booths have language options, and constant instructions on every screen page.  


6)  Use clear, simple language.


7)  Use accurate instructional illustrations.
*This goes back to Isotype and pictograms.  "Visual instructions help low-literacy and general-population voters".  


8) Use informational icons (only).
*i.e. avoid political party icons.


9) Use contrast and color functionally.
* for example to divide sections, alternate lines in long lists with colored backgrounds.


10) Decide what's most important.
*Heirarchy.


Good Example:

For their descriptions go here:  http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/election-design-top-ten