How Zohran Mamdani’s bold campaign design and Bollywood-inspired colours redefine New York politics

Zohran Mamdani made his historic run for New York City mayor with his vivid coloured campaigns. PIC/X@ZohranKMamdani

The vivid blue campaign signs with bold orange lettering were impossible to miss as Zohran Mamdani made his historic and improbable run for New York City mayor this summer. On storefront windows and telephone poles from Queens to the Bronx, the "Zohran for New York City" signs stood out from the standard red, white and blue campaign fodder.

Pic/Lehman.edu

The lettering was seen by many as an intentional reference to old-school Bollywood posters - a subtle nod to Mamdani's Indian heritage. Mamdani's main adversary, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, even rebranded midcampaign. After his defeat to Mamdani in the June Democratic primary, Cuomo kicked off his general election run as an independent candidate by rolling out a new logo featuring the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty's crown and a new colour scheme: blue and orange - Mamdani's colours, but also the colours of the Knicks and Mets.

Mamdani, who will be the city's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, is the son of two prominent Indian American luminaries, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, who is known for "Monsoon Wedding" and other Hollywood films. The popularity of Mamdani's designs was certainly felt during the New York City mayoral race, helping inspire offbeat, viral campaigns such as the "Hot Girls for Zohran" merch worn by model Emily Ratajkowski and other young celebrities.

David Schwittek, a professor of digital media and graphic design at Lehman College, said, "They [posters] evoke the working-class fabric of New York City: the bodegas, taxi cabs, and halal carts that not only sustain the city but also reflect its cultural richness... In a sea of sanitised political messaging, Mamdani's visuals stand out because they mean something."

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