A good election poster conveys a simple but warm message with bold graphics, bright colors, and clear type. Examples from the current German election:

• The Left: Living wages yes, cheap jobs no.
• Greens: Free from oil — Let’s do it! (others include Yes! to pure food and New Ideas, New Jobs — Let’s do it!)
• CDU: Better politics. More growth. More jobs.

The only distinctively German thing about these examples appears to be the typography: at first glance, several of the fonts appear to be from FontShop, which carries many clean-but-humanist Dutch and German fonts.

Contrast these to American electoral posters, with their poor typography, utter lack of message (besides candidate names), and the same old tired stars, stripes, red, white, and blue motif — or to US electoral sites, most of which suffer from overload: small print, poor contrast, and busy graphics. Curiously, neither major party has either an official color or logo, both essential components of any branding campaign. Maybe some of this has to do with how Americans reach voters — via television in private homes — versus how European parties, with smaller budgets and more public spaces for walk-by outdoor advertising.