The day after the November 9th election, many of us here at the Noise 13 office were distraught. As individuals that share the Bay Area community’s progressive values, not to mention an all-ladies crew hoping to witness the historic election of our country’s first female president, the results came as a huge blow. Like so many others, we were shocked, angry, and scared.
But then, an opportunity arose. Not 48 hours later, our brand strategist Miriam Stone approached us with an intriguing idea. She, along with her husband Josh Krafchin and their friend Ethan Todras-Whitehill, wanted to create a website allowing folks to locate their nearest swing district in the House of Representatives. From there, you’d be able to sign up to help flip these districts from red to blue in the 2018 congressional election. It would serve as a way for anyone, no matter where they live, to channel their energy and activism into an area where it could really make a difference. And they needed our (design) help!
All of us on the design team (along with Noise alum Alex Diaz) immediately said yes, eager to volunteer our time outside of the office to bring the idea to fruition. After Miriam and the other founders landed on the name “Swing Left,” we completed a logo and website design within a couple of weeks, and their development team got to work; the founders wanted to move as fast as possible to capitalize on the collective desire for proactivity that was sweeping the nation.
On January 19th, on the eve of inauguration day, Swing Left went live. Since then, the response to and engagement with the site has been nothing short of incredible.
TWEETED
… by multiple celebrities including Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, and Kerry Washington.
EMAIL SIGN-UPS
… on the website exceeded 150,000 in the first three days and 300,000 in three weeks.
PRESS COVERAGE
… includes an in-depth article in the New Yorker, and mentions in publications like The Guardian, Salon, Fast Company, and many others.
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
… tallies 28,000+ Twitter followers and 18,000+ Facebook likes (at the time of this post).
Those of us that worked on this project are so honored and proud to have helped create something that, we believe, can effect real change in this challenging political moment. Since launch, Swing Left continues to grow rapidly, attracting new volunteers every day that are eager to offer their knowledge, skills and time to making it a success.
And now, Noise 13 is one of them! We’re officially bringing on Swing Left as a non-profit client so we can continue to guide the visual language of the brand, ensuring consistency and effectiveness as this movement continues to develop. Stay tuned for more as we embark on this noble adventure together.
