01The Identity
One person. One fingerprint. One vote.
- 01
The fingerprint
At the centre of the mark is a fingerprint, a unique expression of personal identity. No two are alike.
- 02
The ballot paper
The fingerprint sits on a ballot paper, connecting individual identity with the act of voting.
- 03
The ballot box
The paper passes through a simplified ballot box. Every person has a distinct voice, and every vote matters.
- 04
Transparency
Part of the paper stays visible beneath the box. A process that should be open, understandable and accountable.
- 05
One symbol
Individuality, participation and transparency, brought together in one mark.
02Colour
A visual language of clarity, dignity and participation.
Purple · #6D54A4
Dignity and individuality
Purple gives the identity seriousness, distinction and institutional presence. It is the fingerprint's visual home.
Turquoise · #0EB8BA
Openness and clarity
Turquoise brings a contemporary, approachable quality, and its contrast with purple separates paper from box at a glance.
White · #FFFFFF
Simplicity and accessibility
White gives the identity room to breathe, keeping it legible on official documents, signage, campaigns and screens.
03The System
Designed to be recognized. Built to communicate.
The symbol works alone or with the name. The name always appears in Amharic above English, set for clear reading at every size, with Lato and Arial for supporting text.
On a clear ballot box, the idea of transparency becomes the object itself.
Identity applications, visualised
The symbol travels on its own.
Identity applications, visualised
Water bottles 
Mugs 
Lanyard and ID 
Tote bag 
Pen and USB
04In Public
From a symbol to a public institution.
The identity carried the Board's public events, from the stage backdrop to the badges in every visitor's hand.
Recognition was only the beginning.
The Board needed to explain its mandate, principles and processes to a public with very different levels of understanding and trust.
Resolution Studio connected research, communication strategy, identity design and campaign development into one piece of work.
05Research
Understanding the distance between awareness and trust.
Findings from the 2020 research for the communication strategy. They describe the starting point, not campaign outcomes.
1,052people surveyed
Recognition did not mean understanding.
06Strategy
One election cycle, three seasons.
A strategy for a full cycle of at least five years, inside the institution and in front of the public, in Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Afari, Somali, Sidama and Tigrigna.
01 · Pre-election
Lay the foundations
Reintroduce NEBE and its work beyond election day.
02 · Election
Hold the line
Answer misinformation with timely, consistent information.
03 · Post-election
Keep the trust
Share outcomes and make public resources available.
InternalInside the institution
Branded email and signatures, a regular newsletter, brand workshops, inductions and town halls.
PublicFacing the public
Press briefings, public service announcements, regional discussion panels and a trained election-day social media team.
07The Campaign
በምርጫ ብቻ
Giving participation a voice. Only by election.
After years in which elections were shadowed by violence and misinformation, the campaign made one idea simple: the ballot is the way to be heard, and NEBE stands for that process.
Documented execution
Proposed concepts, 2020
The concepts also proposed television and radio spots of board members speaking directly about impartiality, transparency and trust.
- 01Brand identity
Logo, colours, typography and guidelines.
- 02Research
A 2020 survey of awareness, information sources and attitudes.
- 03Communication strategy
Audiences, messaging and tactics for each season.
- 04Campaign
Three concepts, with በምርጫ ብቻ as the anchor.
- 05Production
Campaign and visual materials.
A public institution needs more than a recognizable symbol
It needs to be understood. The identity gave the Board a clear, recognizable face; the research and strategy gave it a way to explain itself, season by season, in the languages people speak.
- Client
- National Electoral Board of Ethiopia
- Year
- 2020
- Services
- Brand Identity · Research · Communication Strategy · Campaign Strategy · Creative Design · Production
- Campaign
- በምርጫ ብቻ · Only by election
Our role
Resolution Studio designed the identity, led the research and strategy and developed the campaign. The election itself, and its results, are NEBE's work.