Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez - www.carlosalvarezformayor.com

Carlos Alvarez ran and won as the underdog candidate for Mayor of Miami-Dade County in 2004.  Ranked by population Miami-Dade is the sixth largest county in the United States, and the office of Mayor is a major political position.¹  A political campaign is in many ways the same as a product advertisement, where the product is the candidate.  Keeping that in mind, we expect visitors to the campaign site to look first for the following features:

1. Simple messages get the point across

2. Honesty in talking about the issues

3. Generous background information

4. Schedule of public events

The Alvarez site was designed to meet these expectations.  The basic color theme is yellow and blue, colors previously chosen for the campaign.  The skyline of Miami is positioned on the left side of a portrait of Alvarez with a subliminal message of the candidate looking over and protecting the city.  The American Flag on the right side of the header draws on the strong patriotic ties that many older members of the Latin community feel towards their new homeland, and the defining message of the campaign is displayed prominently along the bottom edge of the banner.  Briefly the key points of the site are:

• Home page provides current information, you don't even have to leave it

• Encouragement to vote, regardless of which candidate

• The basic platform is outlined in clear terms

• A short series of links to relevant information: biography, press releases, events

• Dynamic calendar of campaign events, today's events are at the page bottom

• Visitors can register and will be kept abreast of current events via e-mail

• Streaming television advertisements provided on the site via Flash, no need for special viewers

Additionally the campaign site served as a focal point to coordinate the volunteer staff, allowing registration for particular campaign activities and be made aware of meetings and other events.

Return to the Smallrock Portfolio

---

¹ The United States Census Bureau 2004 estimated population statistics.