In one of her most ambitious and fast-paced design projects, Shar Biggers, founder of Saleah, was tasked with building an in-house design team for the Biden-Harris Presidential campaign and rebranding the ticket. But what happened next was beyond anyone’s expectations. When Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz emerged as the new presidential ticket, giving our team only 107 days to reimagine and launch a brand that would electrify voters and break new ground in political design.

As history unfolded, so did our creative journey. The sudden shift in candidates also meant a change in direction for the design. What followed was a period of interim branding, where we quickly adapted to represent the evolving vision of the campaign while staying true to its original spirit.

Then came a pivotal moment: a five-day sprint with Wide Eye, where we leaned into the partnership to refine and push the boundaries of the campaign’s visual language. It was an exciting time, but the clock was ticking, and the pressure was mounting. Just days away from the Democratic National Convention, we continued our work in-house, building on what we started to craft a bold new identity designed to prepare voters for a New Way Forward with Harris-Walz.

Creating a Bold Brand in Record Time
Within just a few months, we developed a comprehensive suite of branded assets that spanned multiple platforms, initiatives, and communities. Our efforts included the creation of over 1,000 placards, 80 assets for local and live broadcast events, and more than 13 sub-brands, such as “Camp Kamala.” We also expanded our designs to transportation branding, transforming buses, airplanes, and even food trucks into moving billboards that conveyed the campaign’s message across the country. However, transportation branding presented some challenges, especially since the campaign was still refining its vision and message during this period. As a result, we focused more on graphic elements rather than heavy typography.

One of our favorite highlights was designing for our “Vote for Freedom” tour, an eight-city event that took place over just one day. It was a significant undertaking but also a lot of fun! The project included concert design, marketing materials, merchandise, and social media graphics, ensuring that every aspect felt cohesive and interconnected.

Although the campaign did not end in victory, we are grateful for the experience and honored to have been a part of history. Kamala Harris made history as the first woman to become Vice President and the first woman of color to be a major party’s presidential nominee in a U.S. general election. To commemorate this massive achievement, I would like to share our final design, the 47 logo, which was created with hope for what could have been. While it won’t hold the place in the world we envisioned, we have chosen to share it as a tribute to the journey and the vision it represented.

You can see the complete case study at Saleah.Agency/Harris-Walz