Update: The winning design is the sketch-style image of City Hall’s tower, created by Temple art student Katie Fish. Her design garnered 18% of the vote.
Philly’s notoriously unsticky “I Voted” stickers are getting a makeover in time for Election Day.
City Commissioners announced the nine finalists of a logo redesign contest on Thursday. It’s now up to you to decide which graphic will be sticker-fied in time for Pennsylvania’s April 28 primary.
Sticker polls are open through March 1 — vote aqui.
The contest, launched last year in partnership with the Philadelphia School District, pulled on a range of aesthetic talents. Finalists include pro graphic designers and young illustrators-in-training. The age range is broad, too, with three adults, two college students, two highschoolers and two K-8 designers in the mix.
Designs run the gamut, from whimsical to slick to kinda meh. A riff on a SEPTA token. A familiar-looking street sign. A few nods to the Liberty Bell and City Hall. One has a bubbly Phillies-style font, others look handwritten. Some are stronger candidates than others, but hey, you be the judge.
Remember: You’re going to see a million selfies featuring this design when elections come around.
Will the newly designed stickers be any stickier than the current ones? Every Election Day brings a flood of gripes about how the civic badges don’t adhere well to anything — especially clothes — for more than an hour or two.
That issue is on the fix list, officials say.
“Everyone’s always on the stickiness,” Deputy Commissioner Nick Custodio told Billy Penn. “We are testing out sticker paper samples for stickiness in order to have stickier stickers this time around.”
According to City Commissioner Chairwoman Lisa Deeley, while it’s not the biggest concern for election officials ahead this year (hello, new voting machines), the redesign looms large.
“The ‘I Voted’ stickers may not be the most important thing that we do, but it is certainly something that the public is highly passionate about,” Deeley said in a statement. “With the all-important 2020 elections upon us this is the perfect time for us to roll out a new, unique sticker and get people excited about going to the polls.”
Khara Garcia, the graphic designer for City Council who made some unprompted “Philly attitude” logo suggestions on Twitter in 2018, was one of the judges for the contest.
“It was a great tool to teach civic engagement and foster a love of art,” Garcia said of the contest, in a statement. “I certainly hope that the children remember this when they get older and it is their chance to cast a ballot.”
The winning sticker will be ready in time for the April 28 primary — and translated into Spanish, if it’s not already incorporated into the design.
The Commissioners’ office set up an online survey to gather your votes. Repeat: You only have until March 1.
