What Print Material Do You Need For If You’re Standing For Election

It’s that time again — the end of the three-year election cycle, which means Australians are going to the polls to elect a federal government on Saturday 21 May 2022.

Voting in Australia is compulsory, and anyone on the electoral register who doesn’t cast their vote is issued a $20 penalty from the Australian Electoral Commission. If you don’t pay this penalty, you could face a heavy fine, and/or end up in court.

The fact that voting is compulsory is one of the reasons why we are bombarded with so much campaigning material in the run up to the election — candidates know that with every eligible person having to cast a vote, it is important to try and reach as many people as possible, including (or especially) those who don’t have much interest in politics at any other time.

Australian Election Key Dates

In the run up to a federal election, there are key dates that have to be adhered to by candidates and parties (e.g., when lists of candidates have to be finalised, etc.), as well as important dates for voters to know.

As well as the date of the election, many voters will find it useful to know that early voting begins on 9 May 2022 (which enables you to vote ahead of the general election). Another useful date is 18 May 2022, which is the last available date you can apply to have a postal vote, enabling you to vote without attending a polling booth.

The federal election campaign hasn’t officially started but parties are already spending big on online advertising

If you’ve watched a video on YouTube in the last month or so, logged in to Facebook or been on Twitter, you can’t have failed to notice that political parties are in full campaigning mode. Both major and minor parties are engaged in a variety of online advertising in an attempt to win your vote.

However, Australian elections still utilise a wide variety of traditional print methods and materials to reach out to the electorate. No matter how you feel about them, you can’t avoid the face of candidates beaming out at you from every lamp post, or key campaign slogans seemingly every billboard.

This means that anyone standing for any sort of office — local council, state parliament or federal government — needs to ensure they have a full range and variety of media in their campaigning arsenal.

Election material checklist

Anyone campaigning for office needs to have a variety of print materials they can display in all types of locations, or which can easily be distributed to voters on the doorstep and elsewhere. These include:

Corflute signs — printed signs we see attached to fences, walls and elsewhere that usually feature the face of the candidate, or a party’s key slogans or attack messages;
Banners — pull up or vinyl banners are very popular with people who are campaigning as they are lightweight, portable, and can be set up quickly and easily almost anywhere;
A-frame signs — a classic form of portable, temporary advertising, a-frame signs (or sandwich boards, as they’re sometimes called), can be created in a range of styles and media for display just about anywhere.
Posters and flyers — no election campaign is complete without posters that supporters can display in their windows, and leaflets which can be delivered to people’s letter boxes or handed out when campaigning in public;
Letters and envelopes — most political candidates will send a personalised letter to people in their electorate in order to convey their policies, and it is more effective if this sort of stationary is well designed, using the party’s colours and branding, and images of the candidate; and
Postal vote applications forms — most parties in an Australian federal election send out to residents in their electorate an application form for a postal vote, so that they can request a postal vote quickly and easily.

Clockwork Print, your Australian electoral print marketing partners

At Clockwork Print, we specialise in designing and printing a full range of campaigning and advertising materials for candidates in all forms of election. In addition, we can help clubs and organisations with devising and printing stationary and other promotional materials that can be used in a variety of contexts.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help you to get your message out to the public and reach as many people as possible.

How To Design Printed Election Materials To Meet AEC Guidelines

As the 2022 Australian federal election is wound up and the final votes counted, many of us will no doubt have had our fill of seeing election posters on every street corner, and endless leaflets coming in through the letterbox!

However, what you might not have noticed when examining your local candidate’s pitch for your vote is the fine print, i.e., the authorisation that election materials must include in their design.

In our previous post on printed election materials, we looked at what should go into a successful poster, corflute or leaflet design. In this post, we will now look at the authorisation requirements that need to be included as part of any form of electoral communication.

What communications require an authorisation?

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) issues guidance intended for candidates, political parties or anyone else issuing or publishing communications in an election or referendum, about how the authorisation for that communication is to be displayed.

These apply to any materials that are designed to influence how constituents cast their vote, and includes posters and brochures, how-to-vote cards, campaign letters and flyers that are sent directly to voters.

The purpose of including an authorisation on electoral communications is to give confidence in the transparency and accountability of the electoral process, and to ensure the traceability of all advertising and promotional materials released and distributed prior to an election.

Designing print electoral communications

When you are designing electoral communications that are intended for print, the AEC guidelines say that the particulars of the person or entity who has authorised the material have to be incorporated into the design. The way in which they should be displayed will depend on the type of communication or media.

For example, a printed poster for display on the street during an election that is authorised by what the AEC terms a ‘natural person’ needs to include that person’s name and address, e.g., Authorised by Jack Smith, 14 Station Road, Cityville 1234.

If the authorisation is by an entity, or someone who is not a natural person, it needs to include the name of the entity and the town or city in which it is based, e.g., Authorised by The Vote For Me Party, Cityville.

As well as the scope of information, the AEC guidelines also describe the manner in which authorisations have to be displayed.

These relate to the prominence and legibility of the authorisation. For instance, it needs to be able to be read easily in the context in which it is displayed (e.g., if it’s on a billboard, it should be large enough to be read from a distance), and not placed over or under images. The colour of the text needs to stand out against the background, while if the authorisation is on a sticker, it should be designed not to fade or peel off.

Therefore, when you are preparing posters, brochures, stickers or leaflets ahead of an election, it’s important to understand that every element of the design is crucial — not just the candidate’s image, name, party and colours, but the authorisation requirements as set out by the AEC as well.

Clockwork print, your electoral print marketing partners

It is important for anyone printing electoral communications to understand the AEC guidelines with regard to the inclusion and clarity of authorisations.

As highly experienced designers and printers, Clockwork Print will work with you to ensure that any materials you are preparing ahead of an election — whether local, state or federal — are compliant in this regard.

What’s more, our experienced team of designers can help you to create a wide variety of election advertising materials that effectively and positively convey your message to as wide an audience as possible.

WA COVID-19 UPDATE

Following the latest public health advice, our office in West Perth will be OPEN from 8:30am on Monday, 8 February 2021. It will be business as usual, with guidelines in place during the post-lockdown transition period.

It will be a requirement that all staff and visitors must wear a mask inside our offices. It will also be mandatory to sign in to the building at our Reception, or at our rear entrance for delivery items only, each time you arrive to the building. Registration books will be situated at both entrances.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 08 6254 9999

The Importance of Packaging

As more and more things continue to vie for our attention, if you have a product, it’s important to stand out. And what’s one of the first things that people see? The packaging.
People base their buying decisions on the packaging alone. It’s more than just a pretty label, a catchy tag line, and nice visuals. It could be the difference between a sale or not.

The ingredients of creative packaging: Colours, visual placement, functionality & curiosity.

From the colour and shape to the way it compares to similar products, packaging dramatically influences consumer decisions. This makes it an essential marketing tool for your brand. For example, what comes to mind when you think of Tiffany and Co? Chances are, it’s that beautiful, delicate turquoise green box – you probably even think of this before the ring.

This is the kind of reaction you want to initiate with your brand. They see your product on the shelf and immediately pick it up. To achieve this, the creative packaging is required. It needs to be eye-catching and differentiate you from competitors. The use of particular colours and images is a packaging strategy. What emotion would you like to evoke in your potential customers? Colour is one of the ways to initiate this desired reaction.

Has your logo or part of becoming synonymous with your brand? Like the Target logo, for example. If so, placement is important in your product packaging. What are some of your favourite brands? What packaging pulls you in and why? Try and get into the mind of your consumers. Appealing to someone’s curiosity is another great packaging strategy. When someone’s standing in the aisle is looking at literally hundreds of products, how can you be a bit different, so they pick up your product? Is there a specific visual you can use to take an otherwise corporate product and make it a little bit edgy? This will get people looking… and hopefully buying.

Functionality is also important. Are they going to have trouble taking it home or wrapping it to give to a friend? While the packaging might look cool and appeal to their curiosity, it can’t be too out there for them to reconsider buying it. Will it survive in transit? What about after it’s been opened – will the material make it last long?

All of these questions can be answered with the help of a team of advertising packaging creatives.

Packaging your product for success.

At Clockwork Print, we’re packaging specialists. We understand that many factors determine a product’s success, and we’ll make sure the packaging is one of them. This means the size, shape, colour, cost, durability, and safety attributes are in line with your customer’s expectations. Select one of our almost-countless designs, or let’s customise one for you. Printing options include full-colour print, UV or laminated coatings.

We’re not just packaging experts. We’re also printing experts… who can provide you with the packaging that can help you sell your product? Contact us or request a quote to see what we can do for you!

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Month: June 2022