The newest full-page version

Mar19_fullpage
Originally uploaded by Ravenmn.

This is the latest version of the full-page flyer. It still contains the main points: the "troops out now!" declaration is the strongest image, with the date coming in second. I've had to adjust the layout significantly in order to include the names of speakers who have agreed to be on the program as well as a long list of endorsing organizations.

This piece is based on artwork from the national organization (as is the half-page flyer in the post below), but the layout and slogans are locally created. We are still making a decision on where to locate the program. An unfortunate scheduling conflict arose that made our first choice impossible. Fortunately, the flyers that mentioned that location were never printed or distributed.

One rather irritating aspect was coming up with text that would adequately place the event in Loring Park. The gathering will occur at the intersection of two main streets and a smaller cross street. A map would have been good, but would have been hard to place. Finding the proper wording became a tedious exercise, but worth the effort.

This post is really why I started this blog and hope to continue. The few hours that I spend every week on flyers for one event or another is a small example of the tremendous amount of activity that a community of like-minded activists engage in as they struggle to change the world.

Creating compelling and informative flyers for political events is no longer relegated to the hands of people trained in specialized skills with access to expensive equipment. The process is easier, yet it requires a basic level of skill plus a commitment to a particular code of ethics.

I don't just throw this language together. The actual slogans used and the logistics are all decided in public meetings of individuals and organizations who differ in many ways but are willing and able to come together on joint projects.

Since some of the member organizations are 501(c)3 organizations, no mention is made of the Bush administration or the current political party in power. I'm sure some member organizations would love to vent about their hatred for George Bush, but that anti-Bush zeal is put aside in order to work together with people who share a common goal.

Listing endorsers requires honesty and a commitment to communication between organizations with different goals and different levels of accountability. There isn't a list of groups that we can automatically place on the flyer. Each event requires contact with organizations and their representatives. The language has to be transparent and agreeable to a diverse constituency.

I'm not trying to glorify the work that I do. I am trying to illustrate a small part of the massive work involved in activism. Each flyer I create has to be printed and distributed. Dozens of people have taken this particular tool to all kinds of political activities across the region. The flyers are distributed in churches, schools, universities, coffee shops, phone poles, etc. Local media outlets are informed and spread the news. E-mail lists and web sites copy the electronic version of the flyer and pass the information along.

All of this requires individuals willing to give up a small portion of their spare time to work for something bigger than themselves. With all the pretty distractions that are available to each of us in today's world, I remain, as always, amazed and in awe of the people who choose to set aside a bit of their time to participate in activities like this.

Power to the people. Yeah. Uh-huh.