Visual communication students at Elon and graphic design students at Queens University of Charlotte collaborated on a series of nonpartisan voting posters, marking the School of Communications’ first in-class partnership with Queens since the universities announced their intention to merge in September 2025.
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Nonpartisan Get Out the Vote posters created by Elon University and Queens University of Charlotte students are displayed in Dwight C. Schar Hall as part of “Civic Health: Midterms Matter,” an exhibition encouraging civic engagement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In an age when people are bombarded with messages competing for their attention, students at Elon University and Queens University of Charlotte recently faced a challenge: How do you create something that makes people stop, take notice and, ultimately, decide to vote?
For students in the universities’ respective visual communication and graphic design programs, the answer came through a shared assignment encouraging civic engagement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Looking to build connections between their universities, Melissa Gamez of Queens University of Charlotte and Ben Hannam of Elon University partnered on a Get Out the Vote poster exhibition promoting civic engagement.
The collaboration, which brought together students and faculty from both institutions to create nonpartisan Get Out the Vote posters, marks the School of Communications’ first academic partnership with Queens since the universities announced their intention to merge.
The initiative was sparked last spring by Melissa Gamez, associate professor of design and director of graphic design and studio art at Queens, who contacted Ben Hannam, associate professor and chair of Elon’s Department of Visual Communication, with an idea.
“When I learned that we were merging with Elon, I wanted to reach out and see if there was a way for us to get to know each other and collaborate,” Gamez said. “AIGA’s Get Out the Vote campaign seemed like the perfect vehicle for this.”
The American Institute of Graphic Arts’ nationwide voting campaign encourages designers to use their creative talents to promote participation in the electoral process without endorsing political parties or candidates.
Hannam embraced the opportunity, incorporating the project into his Visual Communication II: Studio Practices in Design course. At Queens, Gamez introduced the assignment in her Typography course.
Elon student Elise Whitaker ’27 created a patriotic-themed poster featuring a model wearing a custom-designed red, white and blue outfit. Whitaker constructed the outfit herself and staged a photo shoot in downtown Burlington, capturing a pose intended to convey confidence, empowerment and pride in personal identity.
While the students worked from their respective campuses, they shared a common objective: creating visually compelling messages that could cut through the noise of everyday life.
“In my class we talked about how difficult it is to get someone’s attention and that we’re living in the age of the attention economy,” Hannam said. “The average person is bombarded by messages and designers are always looking for ways to break through the clutter and noise.”
With that in mind, Hannam encouraged students to look beyond visual appeal and carefully consider the concepts and tone behind their work. Some posters emphasized civic responsibility, while others addressed the consequences of not voting or the importance of selecting representatives who reflect voters’ priorities.
Gamez emphasized similar considerations at Queens, where students explored how creative typography could capture attention in public spaces and connect with a campus community.
One standout example was a poster by Queens student Leslie De La Cruz-Guzman ’29, who incorporated bold colors and a playful reference to vintage Calvin Klein jeans advertisements to connect with her intended audience.
Queens student Leslie De La Cruz-Guzman ’29 incorporated bold colors and a playful nod to vintage Calvin Klein jeans advertisements in her Get Out the Vote poster. Featuring the phrase “Voting Is Hot,” the design uses a pop culture-inspired approach to capture the attention of college students.
At Elon, Hannam highlighted the work of Elise Whitaker ’27, whose poster involved constructing a patriotic outfit and staging a carefully composed photo shoot to communicate pride in personal identity.
Together, the universities produced nearly three dozen distinct voting concepts, offering different perspectives on a shared civic message.
“What I like most about this project is that we have 35 different approaches to encouraging people to vote,” Hannam said. “As you walk through the exhibition in Schar Hall, you’re bound to find a message that resonates with you.”
Those varied approaches were showcased in “Civic Health: Midterms Matter,” an exhibition featured on both campuses. At Queens, the posters were displayed in the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement from Oct. 19-25, while Elon’s exhibition is housed on the second floor of Dwight C. Schar Hall.
The posters have also been accepted into Elon’s Belk Library Digital Repository, extending their reach beyond the physical exhibitions.
Other posters on display