The concept of Q&Eh came about as a response to issues of political apathy in regards to my research topic of Electoral, Political & Civic Engagement of Canadian Youth. This project features a Research report, concept, logo/branding, brand applications, advertisements, website design, and spatial map.
researched Issue
Through research I have come to find that voter turnout and political interest among Canadian youth, aged 18-21, is significantly lower than the rest of the population. However, this age group is significantly more engaged in non-electoral forms of political participation, as well as civic engagement. The research indicates a shift from formal methods of political participation towards informal methods of participation among Canadian youth. Possible reasons for this shift include: technological developments, weak partisan attachments, varying levels of political knowledge, negative attitudes pertaining to the electoral process, lack of engagement with political parties and candidates, and believing that a single vote will not make a difference, among other reasons. As for steps to remedy this lack of interest and participation, my proposal is that the Government of Canada should aim to engage youth through the methods and platforms that are meaningful to them, in-person and online.
Proposed Solution
My proposed solution comes in the form of a national youth discourse week called Q&Eh. This would be an annual event targeting Canadian youth to engage in political discourse. For one week a year, young Canadians aged 15-21 will submit questions to an online platform and democratically decide which questions will be presented to political leaders on the Federal, Provincial, and Municipal level. If a user's question is selected, they are accommodated to meet with their government leaders in person to discuss their answers at the live event. These answers will be streamed to watch on the online platform, and highlights may be shared between other social media platforms. As it is a live event, anything can happen, and this will generate enough intrigue and exposure in order to pique the interest of apathetic Canadians.
With this event, I aim to raise levels of interest in Canadian politics and help Canadians understand that their involvement does make a difference in the outcome of political matters. With this event I want young Canadians to feel inclined to engage by providing them with the full attention of the Canadian government and a national platform to address issues most important to them.
Research Document
34 page document presenting the findings of my research. Includes a hypothesis, literature review, research questions, methodology, statistics, and discussion of the issue.
Logo and Branding
I wanted to create a loud yet professional, sharp logo that embodies the youthful nature of the brand and the excitement of the live event. I used the parallelograms to accentuate the italic type and create a more balanced logo. The examples above show how the logo should adapt to different coloured backgrounds.
I chose turquoise, navy blue, and white as the official colours of the brand because, together, they are politically neutral yet bold. The turquoise is paired with the navy blue rather than a flat black to create a more dynamic and lively impression. I chose Montserrat because of its playful roundness, It is loud and a bit more off-beat than your usual sans-serif.
Stationary
Brand applications include merchandise for employees and for purchase with the logo and colour scheme, including polo shirts, T-shirts, and tote bags. A paper bag and shopping tag, is also included in the stationary mockup above, as well as an envelope design with the letter that a participant would receive in the mail upon selection of their question
Advertisement
Subway Advertisement
Street Banners
On the advertisements I wanted to include questions that were short, relatable, and impactful enough to grab the target audience’s attention. Ideally, many of these posters would be displayed near eachother with various questions pertaining to hot button issues that concern young Canadians. As the viewer should understand that I am not advertising a single issue, rather I am bringing attention to many different issues and encouraging them to check out the website and learn more about the platform and live event.
Spacial Map
This is an aerial view of the event demonstrating where the audience, participants, and politicians will sit. The participants will sit on tiered seats behind the moderators as they wait for their category to be called (ex. Environmental, Education, Indigenous Matters, Health, etc.). When it is their turn, they will join the politician at the discussion table located on the raised platform in the stage area. Behind all the action will be a large screen to display animations, videos, research, and more. Apart from moderating the discussion, moderators will give introductions and conclusions, in addition they will act as fact checkers for the course of the event.
Politicians will wait outside until it is their turn, and they will enter along the pathway to the stage for more of a grand entrance. Whereas the questioners will only need to walk a short distance from their seats to the table for efficiency, as there are many of them.
Website DESIGN
Includes Home Page, Livestream Page, Questions Page (the online platform), and the Representatives page. Click to expand
Home Page
Livestream Page
Questions Page
