About Candice Dayoan

Proudly the daughter and granddaughter of Filipino immigrants, Candice Dayoan was born and raised in Hawai’i.

Candice studied digital animation at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she discovered a passion for student advocacy. She was elected and served as a representative to the Associated Students of UH for four years. She also represented Hawai‘i while lobbying Representative Neil Abercrombie and the late, legendary Representative Patsy Mink with the United States Students Association in Washington, D.C.

Early in her career, Candice worked for a special effects startup as an art director for music videos, also assisting in special effects for television. At Yelp in San Francisco, she honed digital ad buying and management skills.

In 2009, she combined her passion for politics and tech to work for Organizing for America first as a summer organizer and then as the California Deputy New Media Director. In 2010, she became OFA’s Northern California Regional Field Director, managing several volunteer teams and running one of the most productive election hubs in the nation.

Through this grueling, organizing work, she also discovered a passion for visual communication as it intersects with on-the-ground organizing, and helped design digital and printed assets for volunteers to use in training, recruitment, and field work. She even had the opportunity to paint a few murals and large-scale art pieces in support of OFA and GOTV.

A founding member of 50+1 Strategies, Candice has worked with hundreds of clients. She specializes in print design, for which she has won national awards, including Gold Pollies for her work on Gavin Newsom for Governor and Vote.org. She has created the branding and creative strategy for hundreds of 50+1’s clients. She has a passion for making good design more accessible to all and has taught political graphic design classes and workshops across the country for Netroots Nation, Organizing 2.0, Elect Her, and the University of San Francisco.

In 2019, Candice was awarded the American Association of Political Consultants’ (AAPC) “40 under 40 Award”, recognizing her achievements in visual arts in advocacy work. For the award, when asked what her greatest creative achievement was, she replied that her she valued most the change to mentor and foster early design talent, and recognizes that not everyone has the equity of opportunity that she was lucky enough to have.

In her spare time, Candice enjoys geeking out to anything Star Wars, playing bass and video games, cheering on the San Francisco Giants, and drawing.

Training and Speaking

Making design accessible to all and increasing the diversity of designers in this industry are one of the main focuses of Candice’s career. She has given numerous trainings that focus on accessibility to and in design, and believes in mentoring the next generation of designers. She has trained and empowered numerous new designers across the country through 50+1’s fellowship program and at Netroots Nation, Organizing 2.0, Elect Her, and the University of San Francisco.