Zohran Mamdani’s branding went viral for standing out — two Philly creatives are responsible

Forget the stale blues, reds, and sans serif fonts among the slew of traditional political signage. For Zohran Mamdani’s splashy — and successful — mayoral primary run, the 33-year-old Democratic socialist lawmaker from Queens opted for a fresh take on political branding.

Plastered across New York’s homes and businesses, Mamdani’s bold cobalt blue and marigold yellow design with dropshadows and playful typography stands out, breaking away from traditional political ad work.

As it turns out, Aneesh Bhoopathy and Phil Ditzler, two Philadelphia-based collaborators who make up the design co-op Forge, are the creatives behind Mamdani’s branding, logo, and digital presence.

Bhoopathy, a former member of the Queens Democratic Socialists branch, has been working with Mamdani since around 2020. He designed Mamdani’s campaign when he was running for state assemblyman.

Bhoopathy’s mayoral campaign wordmark is a more polished, bolder approach, hand-drawn and with rich colors. He designed flyers and door hangers for volunteers, with different versions available in eight languages.

Meanwhile, his collaborator, Ditzler, handles the technical side, specializing in software engineering. Bhoopathy told The Inquirer that his partner’s work focused on building a website that was easy for supporters to navigate and sign up for volunteering opportunities.

Together, the duo handled the design and digital work for the Zohran for NYC campaign. But the pair’s work dates way back — they met at Montgomery County’s Methacton High School.

“We wanted [the logo to feel like] a yellow taxi cab, something that really represents New York City,” Katie Riley, Mamdani’s deputy campaign manager, told GQ about the brand suite. Riley added that the design also took inspiration from city street signs, along with old Bollywood movie posters. “It’s bright and colorful and joyful.”

It’s made for highly coveted merch, especially among young voters, even spawning unaffiliated collections. Perhaps the most popular, Hot Girls for Zohran, uses the same branding on baby doll tees (all merch proceeds were donated to the campaign) and was seen being worn by model Emily Ratajkowski on Tuesday. Volunteers on the Mamdani campaign could also cash in canvassing hours for exclusive merch, according to GQ.

“In addition to the branding and website, a big part of our work with the campaign was supporting their volunteer operation,” Bhoopathy told The Inquirer.

As for why the branding is so successful, Kingsley Spencer — a Jacksonville, Fla.-based creative director and designer — says the basics are spot-on, not just aesthetic.

“The colors are nontraditional and have cultural meaning outside of politics, like taxi or MTA yellow and a twist on Dem blue, invoking the Mets and Knicks, clearly making it New York,” he said. “Across social media, I noticed the campaign allowing alternative designs still using the same color palette so it speaks more natively to each neighborhood while staying easily identifiable. That’s a huge win.”

Spencer added that Bhoopathy’s focus on the hand-lettered “Z,” using it as a focal point, is “genius.”

“It appears like his entire brand is a design love letter to the city itself,” he said. “Overall, it’s extremely approachable, looks distinctly New York, is clearly built around his personal identity, and was made for flexibility. It clearly contributed to why he succeeded, I’d wager.”

Some of Forge’s other design clients include a New York-based N/A sparkling wine, a loungewear company, and a bakery out of New Jersey.