Friday, October 2, 2020

Campaign Logos

This year, both campaigns have decided to go Big, Fat and Sans-Serif. Brutalist, to borrow a buzz-word from architecture.


As for "design," the Biden folks did that cute thing with the cap E, which forces you to stop reading, go back and figure out what it's supposed to be. I guess if you're a Design Firm you have to do something design-y to justify getting paid the big bucks. Me, I just find it irritating. The Trump people didn't attempt anything that could be described, even charitably, as "design.'

The Biden logo's message is "Hey, at least we're trying." The Trump logo's message is "Where's that intern who knows how to use QuarkExpress? We need a logo and we need 
it now."

In my opinion, the two Obama campaigns did much better:


There's that nice red-and-white swoosh-in-a-circle; it's pleasing, doesn't get in the way of the text, and is a useful graphic element to tie all the campaign materials together. Also, the type isn't all Super-Extra-Heavy Bold, and has some serif and slab-serif fonts mixed in, for a friendlier overall look.

What effect does all this have in the real world? My guess is it doesn't shift a single, 
solitary vote.

I'm reminded of when our local NBC affiliate spent, I think it was a quarter-million dollars, on a new logo, and wound up with this:



It looks like a stylized figure of a guy taking a dump.




3 comments:

The Dude said...

I used to watch Sam and Friends on WRC back in the day. That was good television right there.

Then they had that presidential debate in 1960 and it's been all downhill since then.

Biden's logo looks like his fat fingers grabbing a boob. Seems appropriate for that old perv.

Amartel said...

I have to agree - logo design is not a vote-changer.
It's brutalist maybe because that's where we're at. JUST CHOOSE already. jeez.
Obama had to doll it up with a pretty round sunrising logo to sell his fakery.
We're not being subjected to gentle nudges anymore because the masks are off (but on).
How can we make it any simpler?
Are you for the guy who's biden his time until the election's over when he can finally retire knowing his ill-gotten gains and history of total incompetence, corruption and perving are safe from retribution?
OR, are you for super pump, thump, jump, bump, hump (but also, dump and chump)?

MamaM said...

Trump's comes through as no-nonsense traditional. It looks presidential and businesslike, bringing to mind the Presidential Seal (similar stars) and the silk ties he wears in solids and classic stripes with his dark suits. Traditional business attire. Not showy or flashy, but present and serious about the job at hand.

Joe's looks like he's trying to break into something or slide in on greased rails.

A large nose is what I saw with the stylized 4 (before dumping man showed up) in keeping with sniffing out a clue and the "What have you got? Nose problems" response to aggressive probing and unwanted intrusions into other people's business.