How effective are posters in altering people's perceptions? Are they only worth the paper they're printed on or are they truly persuasive papers? The debate rages at the exhibition Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now at Exit Art in New York, where hundreds of posters, photographs, moving images, audio clips, and ephemera document more than 40 years of activism, political protest, and campaigns for social justice. Many of them have indeed altered perception and triggered action. Curated by Dara Greenwald and Josh MacPhee and organized thematically, the current show presents issues from Civil Rights and Black Power in the United States to democracy in China to anti-apartheid in Africa to environmental activism and women's rights internationally. "The exhibition also explores the development of powerful counter-cultures that evolve beyond traditional politics and create distinct aesthetics, lifestyles, and social organization," say its organizers. Exit Art exhibitions are famous for presenting a critical mass of unique artifacts and this one is no exception.

Whatever your party, your VOTE is important. The following initiatives have been launched by designers to help get out the vote next Tuesday.

PLUS ONE: "Some people donate money. Most don't volunteer. But what if
everyone got just one more person to vote?" asks Scott Stowell. PLUS ONE (above) is a way to get involved that is modest and personal. If enough people do it, it really could make a difference. And if people send their PLUS ONE stories to hello@plusonevote.org, "we might have a nice collection of anecdotes to share for the future."

VOTEHOUR.ORG: This from Ji Lee: "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the last election, the #1 reason eligible voters didn't vote was because they were 'too busy.' This shouldn't happen in this important election. Let's encourage EVERYONE to vote!" Get employers to designate one hour on November 4 for voting. Show your boss the video on votehour.org.

NOV4.NET: From Brent & Andrew: "Promote the vote NOV 4. Let NOV4 help you get out the vote in 2008." This site sells media kits, stickers, iron-ons and tattoos (below) all with NOV 4 emblazoned in stark type.

AIGA GET OUT THE VOTE: "Help motivate your friends, family and others in your community to vote by spreading the AIGA Get Out the Vote campaign. AIGA invited designers from across the United States to create nonpartisan posters."

Thanks to Art Chantry, design archeologist par excellence, I am now the proud owner of Funniest Verses of Ogden Nash, illustrated by Seymour Chwast in 1968, and published by Hallmark Editions. It features such wry witticisms as "Lines on Facing Forty": I have a bone to pick with Fate. / Come here and tell me, girlie, / Do you think my mind is maturing late, / or simply rotted early? (image below, top). Then, there's "Assorted Chocolates": If some confectioner were willing / To let the shape announce the filling. / We'd encounter fewer assorted chocs, / Bitten into and returned to the box. (image below, bottom)

There's more, like "Ask Daddy, He Won't Know," "Lather as You Go," and "The Hat's Got My Tongue," all splendidly illuminated in Chwast's early, colorful linear style.

Happily, if you look, / you may find the book. / The online dealer is not a crook, / and his prices do not rook, / so surf here yourself to get the book / I guarantee it will look very good in that special nook.

Why can't every week be National Design Week? Well, maybe that's asking for too much. Or maybe we should be careful what we wish for. In any case, on Thursday, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum will host the National Design Awards, featuring winners Scott Stowell for Communications Design and Michael Bierut, the Design Mind. The museum also has designated this week, October 19-25, as its third National Design Week. In addition to events across the country, the Cooper-Hewitt will offer free admission to all visitors. Moreover, the museum will host a series of free public programs in the Target National Design Education Center and Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. And don't forget that the winners of the People's Design Awards will be announced on Thursday at the awards gala: Nominees (and you can still vote) include the McCain and Obama logos, as well as Helvetica, the movie, and Design Observer, the blog. BTW, The Cooper-Hewitt invites the public to comment on the awards here.