Québec aux Urnes en 2026 : on a Demandé À un Designer de Juger les Affiches Électorales

Since the campaign for the leadership of the province began, five parties have been fighting over the real estate of everything from lampposts and highway shoulders to the fence outside your dépanneur.

Having already looked at what the parties are promising Montreal and what Montreal voters want in return, we want to look at the political parties’ sense of design before all of it comes down once the votes are counted on October 5. We wanted to look at the packaging; not who has the nicest logo, but whether there's any thinking behind it.

We sent a set of questions to Justin Daoust, president and founder of Nouvelle idée. Given how polarizing the subject can get, Daoust asked to answer in writing so he could take his time, and he holds himself to strict political neutrality: his targets are design decisions, not platforms. His answers appear below lightly edited for clarity, including his theory on what an election sign has in common with a dog on a walk.

A quick who's who before we start: the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), now led by Christine Fréchette; the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ); the Parti Québécois (PQ); Québec solidaire (QS); and the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ).

In goes without saying, but: The views expressed are Justin Daoust's own. The Main does not endorse any party or candidate.

Looking at the five identities side by side this campaign, what are you as a designer noticing that a voter might not?

For those of us who work with graphic design day to day, our eyes are constantly drawn to the graphic elements that surround us, especially when they become part of the urban and even rural landscape in ways they normally wouldn't.

Before comparing each identity individually, I would like to make a slightly more editorial comment: Parties should consider more carefully the visual impact they create during a campaign. Whoever recognizes the real opportunity to stand out within a visual sameness that sometimes borders on ugliness will see a real opportunity to leave a mark on the conscious and subconscious minds of the people who encounter their communications.

That is how an advertisement can be not only seen, but truly understood. It should not simply serve as a reminder of the name of a member of Parliament who, more often than not, is unknown to everyone, sometimes even to the leader of their own party. The poster should be treated almost like an object, like something that has a real impact on how information is absorbed and, eventually, on decision-making.

I think there should be more consideration given to the possibility of rethinking this medium and modernizing the way we communicate visually. We remember something that touches us, regardless of the emotion it makes us feel.

That said, continuing with what I just mentioned, I find that there is generally a lack of originality and sometimes even professionalism in the parties' graphic work. When we look at their different communication channels, it is clear that we are still very far from the institutional standards our eyes have become accustomed to over several decades.

Before going any further, it is important for me to clarify that I impose absolute political neutrality on myself in my comments. My personal political allegiances do not influence my observations.

With that being said, I have to say that there is one outlier: Québec solidaire.

QS stands out, by far, through the originality of its typographic choices, its system of frames and colour blocks, its illustrations and its icon system. It is also the only party, among the five identities being observed, that does not use blue as its dominant colour. It is refreshing and it is good for the eyes. It is in keeping with the party's broad direction: a collective and warm energy that reinforces the idea of diversity.

I would even go so far as to say that we understand the community values being conveyed. Can we see here a form of inspiration from Zohran Mamdani's New York mayoral campaign? His mastery of visual and oral communication certainly helped make him recognizable and memorable. QS's website offers a more modern, digestible and colourful interface, consistent with the rest of the identity. Bravo. The next step would be to see how the use of emerging technologies could allow them to tick all the boxes.

A few rapid-fire comments, without claiming to hold the absolute truth about what is well done and what is not.

I think the Parti québécois is doing fairly well overall. The logo is well designed, and the overall neutrality of the system makes it easy to understand what they have to say. You can feel that Québec is central to their identity decisions, right down to their visual language. I would nevertheless have liked to see a more important use of new technologies, along with a bolder graphic system. After all, does it not take a great deal of boldness to carry this kind of message?

The Liberals offer us what I would define as a Mr. Liberal Dad graphic system. It is comfortable, straightforward and rigid, but too cold and above all not very unifying. If QS stands out through its human warmth, the Liberal visual identity seems frozen in time, almost dusty. I completely lose interest in the photographic art direction, where deputies are presented against a rather questionable blurry background, with a colour treatment that is far too artificial. Once again, it is too cold.

It is worth remembering that the PLQ modernized its brand identity and logo in 2022, after having kept its previous visual signature for nearly twenty years. Despite the generic, accessible system, there is still clearly an intention to project something different. But is it something that the average person perceives, or only something that people obsessed with design will understand?

The Conservatives are… conservative. It is difficult to fault them for their lack of modernity, warmth, system or graphic ingenuity. These are probably visual communication decisions, perhaps involuntary ones on their part, that will appeal to their electoral base. I remain convinced, however, that a sober and functional graphic system, based on a rational grid, a clear hierarchy and a timeless aesthetic, would have allowed them to perform even better. Making something simple is the most complex thing to achieve.

Design isn't just about what looks good, it's the thinking behind it. Where do you see strategy at work in this year's campaigns, and where are parties reprinting what they had last time?

I mainly see a difference between the broader strategic intentions and the creative decisions that come out of them.