Zohran Mamdani, activist, socialist, and son of Ugandan immigrants, has been elected as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. At a time when political communication feels increasingly uniform, his campaign showed that design is far more than an aesthetic layer. It’s conviction. It’s language. And, at its best, it’s a tool for social change.
Mamdani doesn’t speak from above, but from alongside. His messages are clear, concrete, and direct: “Freeze the rent,” “Fast & free buses,” “Childcare for all.” No buzzwords, no PR jargon, just design that makes conviction visible.The visual system was developed by Forge Design in collaboration with Tyler Evans, who created posters, illustrations, and social assets. Also part of the team was Rama Duwaji, SVA alumn in Illustration, since early 2025 Mamdani’s wife, and New York’s first Gen-Z First Lady. It doesn’t surprise me that Rama Duwaji also studied at the School of Visual Arts, a university known for combining creative excellence with a strong sense of purpose. I completed my master’s there a year before her and learned to see design as a language. Maybe that’s why I can recognize so clearly how much design intelligence this campaign holds: a prime example of how design can make conviction visible.
Instead of relying on the typical City Hall blue, the team chose an electric royal blue paired with vibrant orange and warm red. These colors are quintessential New York: MetroCards, taxis, bodega signs. The typography feels hand-drawn, inspired by the signage of small shops in Brooklyn or Queens. Nothing about it feels generic or polished, it’s real, raw, alive. The design doesn’t feel like politics. It feels like community.
Photo left: Zohran Mamdani Campaign Press Kit Photo right: Campaign Visuals, Design: Forge Design & Tyler Evans
What makes Mamdani’s campaign so powerful is its consistency. It isn’t a single poster or clever slogan, but a cohesive system that works across every medium, from stickers and banners to social posts and merch. Each element follows the same principles: bold colors, strong shapes, clear messages. And because the design was intentionally simple and reproducible, supporters could create their own materials without losing its distinctive character. The visual system became a movement, “turning supporters into ambassadors,” as Tyler Evans once put it.
What’s especially striking is how many local designers joined in voluntarily, contributing animations, illustrations, and social content, often unpaid. The campaign wasn’t a top-down project; it was a collective effort. Politics shaped by the very city it represents.
That’s what good design can truly do: connect. It doesn’t decorate; it creates belonging. People wear stickers and shirts not because they look nice, but because they identify with what they stand for. Even in a city overloaded with visual noise, this stood out and stuck.
Of course, a campaign like this works particularly well in New York, a city that breathes diversity. But the idea behind it applies everywhere: political communication needs courage again. Authenticity. Visual distinctiveness. No interchangeable claims, no PowerPoint aesthetics, no fonts from the first page of Google. If there’s one thing to take away from this campaign, it’s that people don’t follow a brand. They follow identity.
And design can make identity visible.
Zohran Mamdani has since announced that he will appoint an all-female cabinet, not as a PR stunt, but as a statement of principle. And that’s exactly what you feel in the design: it’s honest, bold, and approachable.
For us at studio tülü, it’s proof of what we live by every day: design isn’t decoration. It’s a tool that makes change possible.
Or, in our own words: Good design can change the world.
Zohran Mamdani Campaign Press Kit for NYC Campaign (2025).
Design: Forge Design, Tyler Evans, Rama Duwaji.
