Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign unveiled a new campaign website today. Ava DeSantis writes what design means for the Biden campaign.
The new website pulls from the designs of former contenders for the democratic nomination. From Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the campaign introduced videos of Biden’s “warm interactions with voters,” similar to those on Warren’s campaign website. The campaign said these videos “captured [the Warren] campaign’s energy and enthusiasm.” Warren’s campaign website, still running as a relic of her campaign, features a montage of her hugging, shaking hands, and dancing with supporters.
The “Team Joe” campaign store is now located on the website’s homepage, as Sen. Bernie Sanders’ was. Biden introduced Sen. Kamala Harris’ full screen navigation, which made her website easily accessible on mobile devices. Pete Buttigieg’s campaign website, which regularly uploaded clips from Buttigieg appearances, influenced a Biden segment entitled “The Latest” which will be updated with Biden speeches, social media posts, and other news. Like Mike Bloomberg, the campaign website will now feature the names of donors as they give. Finally, the website will add the “visual padding” on the margins of the site of Beto O’Rourke’s campaign website.
Campaign themes
The campaign team writes, the new website “underscores and illustrates a central theme of Joe Biden’s campaign: unifying the country.” The campaign believes his adoption of design elements from his former rivals for the democratic nomination demonstrates his commitment to unifying his party, as well.
The campaign also wrote that its selection of new fonts “Decimal and Mercury” is a “gesture to another central campaign theme.” Decimal is inspired by the “typefaces used in wristwatches,” making it “true as time” and highlighting the campaign’s dedication to “truth over lies.” Mercury is similar to old-fashioned newspaper typeface, which “holds the truth of the written word.” Additionally, the website will be available in full Spanish translation to increase engagement with Latino communities and will work to become more accessible to users with sensory, cognitive and mobility disabilities.