Harvard kennedy school Study

Editorial Design / Data Visualization / Art Direction

Booklet titled "Celebrities Strengthening Our Culture of Democracy" on a light blue background.

The Challenge

Convey complex findings about the impact that celebrities have on civic participation in the United States.

The Outcome

A reputable, nonpartisan study that highlights the positive role celebrities can have in strengthening democracy.

Despite record-breaking voter participation levels in recent elections, the United States still ranks 31st out of 50 developed nations in terms of eligible voter participation. Ashley Spillane, the former president of Rock the Vote, worked with the The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and the Harvard Kennedy School to publish a study that found celebrities play an influential role in promoting civic participation. Focusing on nonpartisan activity, such as general voter education, registration and mobilization, it provided timely insights on how stars can leverage their platforms to help get out the vote and encourage political dialogues in the U.S. 


I worked with Ashley and Impactual to create an on-brand Harvard Kenndey School study with compelling data visualization and digestible design elements. Celebrities featured in the study included Hailey Bieber, David Dobrik, Billie Eilish, Trevor Noah, Taylor Swift, Kerry Washington, and Questlove. The study received broad earned media coverage and was featured in publications such as CNN, Variety, ABC News. 

A magazine spread open to an article with text and images. The left page features an image of a person and a block of text. The right page has a different image of a person with a dog, a quote, and additional text. The background is light blue.
Open magazine spread with text and photos on celebrity influence on democracy.
Survey results showing percentages of people aged 18-29 who feel high school prepared them to understand voting topics. Categories include: importance of vote, how to register, voting deadlines, researching candidates, and submitting ballots, with responses from likely, possible, and unlikely voters.
Line graph showing voter turnout rates by race from 1990 to 2018. Orange line represents White voters, black line for Black voters, purple for Asian voters, and pink for Hispanic voters. Turnout percentages are marked at various points, showing changes over midterm election years.
Open book on a light blue background with text about engagement activities and impact measures.
Open magazine spread with left page displaying 'Introduction' on a blue and white background. Right page contains text about voter participation and a bar chart showing U.S. voter turnout in comparison to other countries, titled 'U.S. Turnout Ranks Below That of Some Peers.'
Composite image of two articles discussing a Harvard study on celebrities' influence on voter turnout. The left article from 'Variety' mentions Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Kerry Washington. The right article from 'ABC News' emphasizes celebrities' impact on elections with a photo of a person wearing a "Please Vote" cap.
News article titled 'Do celebrities’ voices matter in elections?' featuring a performance image at a campaign event.