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The Singapore Democratic Alliance has been turning heads with election posters hearkening to campaigns of the past. 

The party’s nostalgic posters, up since yesterday, have caught attention for evoking Singapore’s early years in the 1960s, with their vibrant colors and cartoon illustrations of social issues.

While such posters have gone up around the city since Nomination Day yesterday, it’s those of the Singapore Democratic Alliance, or SDA, which have been appearing in many timelines today. 

The party, led by Desmond Lim, is one of three contesting the Pasir Ris-Punggol group constituency, where it faces the People’s Action and People’s Voice parties.

In its posters, SDA incorporated thought-provoking drawings depicting hot-button issues such as exhausted elderly laboring well past their retirement years in menial work. Others depict the working class literally squeezed financially by high costs of living, such as housing and medical care.

In four languages, the posters are completed by captions declaring “Touch your heart, ask yourself, why?” and “Enough is enough!”

Visually-arresting election posters from the Singapore Democratic Alliance, who is contesting in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. Reminds me of the election posters of the 1960s, when cartoons were used to put across simple points to a not-so-literate electorate.

— Eisen (@eisen)

They met a positive response online, at least for their aesthetics. 

“This is by far the best electoral advertisement I’ve seen yet, most election posters are incredibly visually bland,” user Hurt_cow in a Reddit thread. “All the other posters i’ve seen only have a photo of a politician and a party logo typically with some vague slogan.”

The comment went on to praise the posters for communicating visually in a thought-provoking way.

A review of most other campaign posters found they adhered to the same formula of candidates’ faces and names paired with party logos and voting marks. 

National Solidarity Party

People’s Action Party

PAP posters already up near Revenue House in Novena. I guess election volunteers work fast.

— Mamba 24ever. 💜💛 (@liverpool_98)

People’s Power Party

Progress Singapore Party

Singapore Democratic Party

Singapore People’s Party

Workers’ Party

How does PAP get the stickers onto the poster so quickly? Logistically, the stickers need to be passed to different individuals. Sticken seen in the wild under 2 hours the nomination was announced. The PAP posters already has the sticker. The opposition posters not yet.

— Edward Lim Junhao (@BarbarianEd)

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GE2020: Here’s what’s different about Singapore’s election this time
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