The Decoder Ring

In his role at Austin design shop The Decoder Ring, Christian Helms creates work for a hit list of hipster bands that includes The Hold Steady, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie and more. Now he's put his cultural prowess to work for a political star: Barack Obama. To help get out the youth vote, Helms designed three visually clever posters for the Vote for Change campaign. They skip the sucker punches in favor of a subtler approach—like turning the Q in Iraq into a hamster wheel.

by Michelle Taute