Images of protest signs act as visual anchor points for social movements, serving not only to communicate messages but to record a moment in time and a place in history. In modern visual activism, images of ephemeral artifacts taken at local protests can be immediately shared digitally through online social networks. As visual tools for social change, protest signs are frequently designed and consumed rapidly, yet they carry significant rhetorical weight.From a local perspective, this paper draws on visual rhetoric and semiotics to analyze protest signs photographed at the Flagship Minnesota ‘No Kings’ rally to explore how perceptions of authenticity and creativity vary by medium and influence the credibility of the protestor and the movement. Using a visual literacy framework, this paper discusses how materiality triggers distinct cognitive and emotional responses in both rally participants and remote observers. Preliminary results of a pilot study indicate that viewers perceive hand drawn, visually imperfect, and unique messaging as more authentic and emotionally resonant. The personal effort required to make a protest sign, correlated with perceptions of an individual’s creativity as did rarity of sign verbiage and imagery. Conversely, digitally produced signs, while sometimes visually striking, were perceived as less authentic, which decreased emotional resonance and trustworthiness. The initial findings demonstrate that for protest posters, perceived authenticity is important for visual literacy education.
