The election design initiative of AIGA Design for Democracy began when a poorly designed ballot confused Florida voters in a hotly contested presidential election. In the days following the November 2000 election, the now infamous “butterfly ballot” became the focus of national media attention. It also provided a rare opportunity to advocate for the design professions and to demonstrate that good design can make choices clear.

Prompted by the situation in Florida, UIC design faculty and students set about investigating the transformative effects that good design might bring to the Chicago/Cook County voting experience. "Design for Democracy: Ballot + Election Design" is one outcome of this effort, which grew to include design professionals and election officials nationwide.

Projects initiated at UIC include design for all steps of the voting process as well as behind-the-scenes materials for election administration. In addition to the book written and designed by professor Lausen and published by the University of Chicago Press, this work has served as the foundation for the development of federal guidelines endorsed and distributed by the US Election Assistance Commission. AIGA Design for Democracy work has won numerous awards and has been exhibited in Washington DC, Paris, Copenhagen, and New York. It has been supported by UIC's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, Sappi Ideas that Matter, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The UIC team included Marcia Lausen, Professor of Graphic Design, Stephen Melamed Clinical Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall, Associate Professor of Design Anthropology, the UIC Graphic Design BFA classes of 2001, 2002, and 2003, and the Industrial Design BFA class of 2001. [ more information ]