The cross with the posters
Day in, day out, county residents pass by the portraits of tamara bischof and rafiq iqbal. Your election posters are displayed in many places in kitzingen and in the communities of the district. We are used to the sight and hardly give a thought to images and statements. In contrast, three experts – at a critical distance – take a close look at the colorful boards.
The style consultant
As head of the hairdressers' guild, monika henneberger has experience in color and style consulting. She finds the warm tones of both "harmonious and consistent".
"Orange goes well with bishop's blond hair – the scarf is well chosen in one of the party colors." The deputy district master craftswoman also likes the district administrator's haircut "not too well-behaved, not too feminine, not too strict". She could also imagine bishop with a shorter, more fashionable cut. She could do more to make her hair shine, but she should definitely keep her blond hair. Henneberger also praises the discreet ear jewelry and the lipstick.
"All in all positive", so the resumee. However, she found colors in the blackberry-purple range to be cooler and perhaps a little more provocative. "They were a good match for mrs. Bischof and represent individuality, strength and assertiveness." Attributes that women had to have in order to succeed in high positions. Bishop was able to use cooler colors on the election poster to better express "that she has power and a clear language" said.
The expert finds rafiq iqbal's poster almost a little too harmonious. "A jacket in cool green would fit just as well – even with the party colors." The white shirt and the classic tie are well chosen. "However, everything seems a bit conservative." Iqbal was a young man who was allowed to wear bolder colors. Henneberger's assessment of the challenger's glasses is ambivalent. "A medium brown frame would bring more softness to the face." Nevertheless, black suits his dark type.
There is unqualified praise for iqbal's well-groomed, shiny hair. "A shorter cut would not make the hair so shiny and would be difficult to style, because he has very strong hair." All in all, the hairdresser could imagine iqbal in somewhat more youthful colors "but then the glasses would have to be classic".
The graphic designer
Communications manager marion schmitt has carried out a graphic analysis of the posters – with challenger rafiq iqbal coming off significantly worse than the incumbent.
"His poster corresponds neither to the corporate design of the greens nor to that of the odp", finds schmitt. Both are usually "hipper and more dynamic" in terms of design, appealing to younger voters. She also criticizes the low-contrast background colors.
"The typography looks straightforward and simple – but comes across as boring ruber." Also the black color choice is strict and rather bland. "The statement of the headline is not supported by the design." She finds the wordplay rather confusing and awkwardly placed. "That shows a certain helplessness." Schmitt makes the same judgment about the logos at the bottom: they were "helplessly slapped there look.
She has praise for the photo and iqbal's personal charisma: the photo is kept in a contemporary, friendly color climate and is well lit. Kitzingen in the background also establishes a local connection. "Mr. Iqbal looks young and friendly – unfortunately, the fresh energy he wants to bring to the district office does not come across at all in the design."
In contrast, the photo is the only thing that schmitt finds fault with tamara bischof: it seems stale. "A brighter, friendlier image climate was made frau bischof younger and more dynamic ruberkommen."
Otherwise, she has almost only positive comments: the contrasting colors seem complementary to each other, while the female brings calm to the design. The poster's structure was clear, the content could be perceived quickly – especially since the color scheme was lively and eye-catching. She thinks it's clever that the name – the only one set in black – stands out well on the white flat surface. She also particularly emphasizes the "choice is important"-button, which loosens up the design and creates an "exciting antithesis" insert.
The scientist
Christoph barth is professor at the faculty of design at the wurzburg university of applied sciences. Because of the "politician-weariness" in his opinion, it has become even more difficult in recent years to communicate something to the voters. And the shortening demanded by the poster makes communication all the more difficult. "There are never any ideas for pictures – portraits of the people in question always smile at us", he noted. "The text must make clear in a highly condensed way what the person stands for. So they are fishing from a long familiar pool of worn out terms that the reader has come to know. So it is also with these two posters."
Professor barth finds tamara bischof's poster relatively clear and uncluttered at first glance and not too overloaded with different fonts, logos and so on. The expert sees this as positive. Further he means: the photo is authentic, only with longer view on it the laughing seems put on. The message ("with heart and mind") is rather small and reserved. In terms of content, the whole thing is very dark, it is more about the personal attitude of tamara bischof than about a political position. For barth, it's the "human" attempt to score.
For the professor, the rafiq iqbal poster is in many respects the opposite of the tamara bishop poster: "too full, too confusing, many elements struggling with each other." Content is too much "wordplay" for him on the way. Naturally, a green politician has the "fresh energy" to take this step that's precisely why they should be avoided, says barth. Nor had he recommended the IQ derived from the name. The reason: even if it is certainly rather "light" was meant to be, it can seem anmabend.
This is the view of the experts. For the voters from the district, the political program was allowed to be more important. Voters were not consulted on the poster design, with the election on sunday, 23. September, but they are the only ones who decide.