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Down in Palm Beach County there were 19,000 ballots from the 2000 presidential election about to go in the dumpster. Most of them had Al Gore’s name punched out. But each one also had Pat Buchannan’s name punched out. Sorry! We can’t have both presidential votes on one ballot, so we won’t have either!
How could such a disastrous event, costing Al Gore the presidency, be allowed to happen? Answer: that enterprise killer, Poor Design! To save space and use larger type, names were listed on each side of the row of punch out boxes like so:
Edgar Cane 
Percy Smith
Al Gore
Pat Buchannan
George Bush
Alice Dilbert
Now some candidates are fictitious and this layout is only an approximation, but you get the idea behind the notorious “Butterfly Ballot of Palm Beach County.” Pat Buchannan received, by far, more votes in this Florida county than any other. Obviously many folks mistakenly punched his name, realized their mistake, but knew better than to try to “correct it” by punching either Al Gore or George Bush as well. But 19,000 folks did punch out another chad in an attempt to correct an error.
So why didn’t Al Gore sue to re-vote in Palm Beach County? (A local group did sue.) A re-vote with a better designed ballot would guarantee Gore the election.
Are you ready for this? The designer of the ballot was the daughter of a former Democratic govenor! A similar ballot was used in the previous election so that older, mostly Democratic voters could easily read the larger type. But this lady, a lifelong Democrat, was not a professional graphic designer. She didn’t realize that she was creating confusion, even with the larger type.
So, for want of 19,000 chads, a two-year Gore battle for the presidency may have been lost!
I’ve seen numerous multimillion dollar marketing thrusts lost because of inadequate, confusing or distressing design implemented by “research results” rather than competent design knowledge. These disasters cross all industries, from oil companies, through fast food and retail outlets, to moving pictures or financial institutions. Companies too numerous to count, with solid marketing plans and resources, have been dumped into the ocean of consumer neglect by poor product or collateral design.
Successful marketers without solid design instincts realize that they must test, test, test to have any chance. Often the money runs out before a profitable design solution is found. That’s why some photographers, directors, graphic designers, artists, cartoonists, architects or even programmers must turn down commitments while the vast majority are barely getting by. Creative people in demand have been lucky enough to have helped launch more than one successful project They’ve demonstrated their ability to link a design with a market, or to drive a market with new ideas.
We at MediaGraphics know and work with such people. That’s one reason we’re “America’s most imitated media marketing.” But that doesn’t mean expensive. We’re never considered successful unless the client’s products or services make money. -- J.D. Kinney
© 2000, Dev.Kinney/MediaGraphics, Inc. Reproduction to include copyright.
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