IDEA
When I received the entries for my previous competition (Common of Houses: No Expense Spared) I noticed that most entrants were keen not just to see changes in the rules governing MPs’ expenses but also to see major changes in the way in which Government is actually formed and operates.

I started to think about other aspects of Government policy/ procedures that could do with a creative redesign. If we were to start again, what, and how could designers change the way that politics runs in this country?

With the General Election coming up in May 2010 there seemed like only one sensible place to start – the vote.

Once I had set that as the basic problem the real work started. First, obviously I had to sort out a brief but then I needed to try and find someone to fund the project and to be my media partners. I also needed to design a website, arrange for some prizes, attract a few big name judges, sort out an exhibition of the results and get lots of good PR. Quite a bit of work when you work as an architect by day and as a designer by night, especially when you decide the competition launch needs to happen by the 15 March.

BRIEF
Once the brief was roughly drafted up, I then set about the website, thinking it easier to attract project sponsors with something to show them but then came the questions – who to get as project partners?

SPONSORS
With the first competition, the Archtitect’s Journal and The Lighthouse were the two main sponsors. The Daily Telegraph had also said they were interested but I could never tie them down. Having wasted a lot of time phoning round people for the first comp I was loath to do so again but in the end that’s what I ended up having to do. As a result I had a coffee last week with the head of the “Vote for a Change” campaign who has agreed to provide some funding and I’ve been chatting to the editors of a few design mags like Creative Review and The Drum about getting their media support. All in all, its gone reasonably well so far, I think having the first CoH competition behind me has really helped to understand what I’m trying to do and hopefully I’ll convince some more partners to donate some funds.

NEXT STEPS
In a few days I’ll update some more on the next steps and the development process the brief has gone through and my ideas for the prizes and the judges.