ABOUT

Illustration | Political Campaign Branding | Character Design for Student Election

During a student election campaign at the University of Leeds, I was commissioned to create a caricature illustration for Noha Abou El Magd, a candidate running for Equality & Diversity Officer. The campaign aimed to make Noha feel approachable, personable, and memorable, while delivering strong visual branding that supported her core message: “Get to Noha.”

Creative Direction:
The caricature needed to reflect confidence and charisma, while remaining warm and relatable. Inspired by the empowering tone of the Bollywood film Nayak: The Real Hero, I drew on the cinematic reference to build a visual character that was bold but accessible.

The colour scheme was selected for its psychological impact in professional contexts:
• Blue to convey trust, loyalty, and dependability
• Red for confidence, assertiveness, and visibility

The final illustration balanced cartoon-like charm with confident body language, an image that could connect instantly with peers and stand out across campaign posters, social media, and print materials.

Key Contributions:
• Designed a custom caricature illustration that embodied the campaign’s tone and values
• Applied strategic use of colour psychology to reinforce leadership qualities
• Created a flexible visual asset used across various campaign formats (digital and print)
• Helped humanise and amplify a student candidate’s voice in a highly visible, memorable way

This freelance project combined illustration, branding, and strategic thinking to turn a student election campaign into a visual statement, proving that even politics can benefit from a touch of personality and playfulness.