From Bollywood to bodegas, Mamdani's mayoral campaign drew visual ideas from surprising places

NEW YORK (AP) — The bright blue campaign signs with bold orange letters caught everyone's eye as Zohran Mamdani ran his historic and unlikely race for New York City mayor this summer.

On shop windows and phone poles from Queens to the Bronx, the "Zohran for New York City" signs stood out among the usual red, white and blue campaign materials. Many people saw the lettering as a clear reference to classic Bollywood posters — a quiet nod to Mamdani's Indian roots.

But Aneesh Bhoopathy, the Philadelphia-based graphic designer behind the visuals, said the campaign just used the bright primary colors that help bodegas yellow cabs hot dog vendors and other small businesses pop out in the city's hustle and bustle.

The stylized font — with its drop shadow effect and old comic book appearance — aimed to bring to mind the old-fashioned, hand-painted signs still visible in some neighborhoods, he said.

"In short, it's New York," said Bhoopathy, who used to live in New York and assisted with earlier campaigns for Mamdani and the Queens branch of the Democratic Socialists of America.