The People’s Counter
Experiential Design | Civic Engagement | NYC Culture
The bodega knows your order. Your face. Your block. You don’t explain; you pull up. So we ask, what if that same trust preps you to vote?
Project overview
The People’s Counter is a civic brand activation that reimagines the most trusted place in New York, the bodega, as a one-stop pop-up for voter education. Inspired by the way we rely on corner stores for everything, this campaign meets people where they already feel seen.
The Challenge
- Civic information is often cold, confusing, or buried in bureaucracy
- Many young, immigrant, and working-class New Yorkers feel left out
- Local voter turnout is lowest in the neighborhoods that need the most support
Outcome
- Give New Yorkers a new way to prep for the polls, not with paperwork or pressure, but with community, culture, and clarity.
Process
This campaign starts like any good bodega order: messy, fast, full of flavor. I brainstorm names that feel local and lived-in. The People’s Counter stands out because it sounds like a place you can trust. From there, I build out the visual world, drawing from deli signage, civic palettes, and the type you see on bodega signs.
Core Experience: The Pop-Up Bodega
The People’s Counter replaces deli counters with civic counters. Trained staff wear branded aprons, answer questions, and hand out district-specific cheat sheets. Visitors preview ballots, ask anything, and walk away with a plan. The vibe feels like a local deli, but it delivers voting confidence.
The Hot Ballot Food Truck
To reach even more voters, we launched a mobile version of the experience. The Hot Ballot truck brought voter prep to parks, school blocks, and subway stations. Each sandwich came wrapped in a Ballot Wrap—a custom label styled like nutrition facts, but filled with candidate info, propositions, polling hours, and deadlines.
The Civic ATM
Visitors could enter a ZIP code or scan a QR code. In seconds, a custom-printed receipt gave them polling locations, voting hours, and a full ballot preview. It made prep personal, fast, and hyperlocal.
Civic Materials
All materials were designed to feel useful, not official. Ballot cheat sheets. Polling maps. Explainers printed like deli specials. Everything was made to be grabbed, read quickly, and shared with others.
Sticker Wall
The window of each pop-up became a moment of reflection. People filled in sticker prompts shaped like bodega price tags. Then stuck them up and shared their voice together.
Subway Ads
The Civic Bodega hits the underground with bold subway ads designed to stop New Yorkers in their tracks. Mixing bodega flair with democratic urgency, the campaign transforms subway platforms into reminders that your voice matters.
Social Media Campaign
We extended the message beyond the corner store with quick-hitting carousels and animated motion. The tone was bold, fast, and clear, turning complex voting info into something easy to swipe and share.
Merchandise
The Civic Bodega merch line is made for everyday activism. Inspired by classic NYC streetwear and bodega culture, each piece makes civic participation wearable. The collection turns voter education into something tangible, playful, and proud.
