Chicago has a new ‘I voted!’ sticker. Meet the artist behind the bold and simple design.

As Tuesday’s Illinois primary election approaches, early voters have been introduced to a new unique design for what’s arguably the most fun part of casting a ballot in Chicago — getting the iconic “I voted!” sticker.

The Chicago Board of Elections ordered 2 million of the apple-size stickers. The new design features a ballot box set over a dark blue backdrop and above the four red stars from Chicago’s city flag. The stickers are handed out like little prizes after voters cast their ballots, passed out at precincts and included in vote-by-mail packets across the city.

The artist behind the new sticker, Jane Ignacio, has designed everything for the board for more than 20 years, from its social media posts to its election judge handbooks.

“Going to the polling place on Election Day is like my Super Bowl,” the freelance designer said in an interview Thursday.

A graduate of DePaul University’s communications school, Ignacio has always been interested in politics, she said, though she began her long-term relationship with the “I voted!” stickers largely by luck after the studio she worked for after college took on the city elections board as a client.

As some may remember, Chicago-specific “I voted!” stickers have not always been a staple of the Chicago voting experience. Due to complaints from businesses and municipalities about the stickers ending up in places they shouldn’t (often walls and light poles), the city for many years provided a simple paper receipt to those who cast their ballots.

In 2016, the Chicago Board of Elections took the bold step of introducing wristbands to spread the spirit of Election Day.

“(The board) wanted people to be able to show on social media that they voted,” Ignacio said. “So we created the ‘I voted!’ wristbands, which was so unique, and I don’t think a lot of places had done it.”

However, by the time the next presidential election came around, the board had to adjust to the times yet again. Ignacio said the wristbands proved a pain to stuff into envelopes for those voting by mail, whose numbers exploded as people hoped to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Plus, stickers are much more fun to create, she added.

Over the past four years, Ignacio’s designs have featured the Chicago skyline twice, and they often lean into the light blue elements of the city’s flag. Ignacio said the stickers’ images should communicate the election cycle, with this year’s bold colors and simple drawing intended to make sense for those voting up to the federal level.

She relies on input from board and staff members, such as the director of public information, Max Bever, as well as informal push polling, to finalize the designs. It’s hard to please everybody, but the team works to ensure the designs are apolitical while instilling pride. Bever said achieving unity includes opting for Chicago flag elements rather than those of the U.S. flag.

“In a federal election, you see a lot of things that have the American flag, but we’re just in a situation as a nonpartisan government agency to try to find that good middle ground for people, so nobody feels excluded or nobody feels like they’re not being represented by an image,” Bever said.

Voters shuffling in and out of the Loop Super Site to vote early Thursday examined this year’s design with interest, some shoving their stickers in their pockets to bring home while others proudly displayed them on their jackets.

Carrianne Carallis, a Cook County government employee, said she planned to post a photo of it on her Instagram account.

“I don’t think (the sticker) is a big deal, but I like it for everybody else,” Carallis, 42, said. “It encourages other people to come out — creates a type of group mind or groupthink.”

As far as the efficacy of the design went, the word “cute” arose often. However, early voter and marketing professional Stacy Morton, 52, had critiques.

“I do like it,” she said. “The check is cool, but I think the ‘I voted!’ could’ve been the more prominent message first. But the colors are nice.”

No matter what others think about her work, Ignacio believes in the power of simple messaging to spread the word about elections. Her passion for the communication tool was easy to see as she told stories about the stickers she’s designed popping up everywhere from her son’s high school classroom to the Facebook page of Chicago voter former President Barack Obama.

“I’m just hoping that it’s something that will help the younger generation want to vote,” Ignacio said. “Just get them reminded that ‘Oh yeah, there is a process and I can see everyone wearing the stickers, so I want to be a part of it later. I want to be a part of it in the future.’”