How Zohran Mamdani's vivid campaign aesthetic was inspired by Bollywood and taxis

When Zohran Mamdani walked onto the stage on election night , he stepped in front of an eye-catching graphic: his signature campaign slogan emblazoned in orange yellow and a burnt red that read, “Zohran for New York City.”

The graphic became ubiquitous on street corners and in storefront windows during the election cycle. Mamdani’s handpainted and edgy campaign materials evoked mainstays of the city.

“We wanted it more to be speaking to taxi cabs and bodegas and hot dog stands and boardwalks,” Mamdani said in an interview with Gothamist.

The imagery also represented the meticulous detail that the candidate and his team put into the campaign’s visual identity. For Mamdani, who grabbed attention with viral TikTok videos, visuals matter.

“They're a representation of the campaign and who