Pete Buttigieg is ??? ?? ??taking online campaigning to a very 2019 level.
The South Bend mayor, who announced his official presidential bid on Sunday, understands the undeniable power of the internet, and he plans on using it to his full advantage.
Buttigieg, his husband Chasten, and their dogs Truman and Buddy, already have beloved Twitter presences, but the millennial mayor and his team took things a step further this weekend by releasing an entire set of digital assets, social media guidelines, and detailed explanations behind each of his visual campaign aesthetics so that influencers and fans can easily show him support online.
The Design ToolKit, created by design firm Hyperakt and available through PeteforAmerica.com, serves as a sort of Buttigieg brand bible, if you will. The decision to create and release the guidelines was a bold, strategic, and honestly pretty smart move.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable SEE ALSO: Pete Buttigieg and the viral allure of the charming politician "This is your home base for downloading the graphic assets you need to support our grassroots campaign," the home page reads.
The four areas below -- logos, colors, type, and Team Pete -- take supporters into the mind of Buttigieg, giving them all the information they could ever want or need about his decision-making processes. It's a lotof information. Borderline too much information, really. But it's here, so let us break it down.
Logos
In the "Logos"section of the site, Buttigieg describes how South Bend's Jefferson Boulevard Bridge inspired his logo, andhe offers six pre-made graphics for download in JPG, PNG, or SVG format. He really tries to accommodate every possible preference.
Users can also play around with an interactive color pairing tool to create their own logo, which, despite my dream combo of Blue Sky and Rust Belt not being an approved option, is pretty fun.
Via GiphyBefore you download an asset, though, you mustaccept Mayor Pete's very official Terms Of Use, which clearly state:
Pete For America, Inc. (“PFA”) grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferrable, non-sublicensable, royalty-free limited license to use the Logos solely as depicted in the artwork made available for download. You agree to use the Logos for your personal, noncommercial use to show your support for PFA and Mayor Pete Buttigieg on posters, decals and related materials, with the Logos to be depicted as in the downloaded artwork and of commensurate quality. Any use by you of the Logos other than as specifically authorized here, without the prior written permission of PFA, is strictly prohibited and will terminate the license granted herein. Commercial use of the Logos is strictly prohibited. This license is revocable at any time.
If he hasn't scared you off yet, you might venture to explore the "Colors" section, which, I cannot stress enough, is as extra as it possibly could be.
Colors
Pete Buttigieg isn't a regular, red, white, and blue president. He's a cool president, who hand-picked his color scheme with the utmost consideration. Buttigieg apparently dug deep to land on the nine colors that serve as an "ode to his hometown and his life there" — like, maybe even deeper than Beto digs to write his Medium posts.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Not only does he give the general details for each color in his campaign, but he compiled a color coordinated collage of his life. He goes on to provide a meaningful description of each color as it relates to him as a human being.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable I'm fairly certain Pete gave these nine colors more thought than most people give their wedding vows, children's names, or entire presidential campaigns. And the same could be said for his typography.
Type
"Our brand typography pays homage to America’s industrial legacy, to Pete's ability to convey substantive ideas plainly, and to his bold vision for a modern America that reaches for the future with focus and clarity," the page reads, before breaking down each and every font and size included in Buttigieg's campaign visuals.
The "Type" tab also features a pre-made statement about "Generational Change" that users can customize and download, just like the logos. I'm exhausted!
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Team Pete
Finally, Buttigieg gives supporters from all over the country the option to download a logo specific to their state, all of which were hand lettered by more than a dozen artists. Supporters are encouraged to "download them, print them out, add them to social profiles and use them to spread the word" about the campaign. Just in case you didn't already get the gist by now, Pete wants your viral support. OK? If you like him then you should've opened your Twitter or Instagram account and put a graphic on it. Oh, oh, oh.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable It seems like Buttigieg's Design Toolkit covers every possible social media angle, but if supporters think of any other graphics that they would find useful, the team encourages them to reach out and share their ideas.
#2020: The online campaign trail
Now, more than ever, social media can give candidates an extra leg up in a very crowded field. It's an opportunity to directly interact with supporters, engage potential voters, and spread the word about all they stand for and what they're accomplishing.
We've seen how Donald Trump speaks to Americans through Twitter, and how politicians like Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez use Instagram Stories to give followers relatable glimpses into their personal lives. Already Mayor Pete has thrown his hat in the ring by stepping up his Twitter game and even releasing a very diverse campaign Spotify playlist. (I mean, Carly Rae Jepsen andPhish back-to-back? He's good.)
But Buttigieg's latest efforts to inspire social media influencers to share their support for him on social media is above and beyond the usual digital assets kit. Poke fun if you want, but this is an innovative step that clearly shows he's more native to social media than almost anyone else so far in the race.
If anyone's prepared to master the viral campaign trail, it's him.
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