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Stop with the Logos!
A company needs a good logo. A politician needs a good name. But since the turn of the century (this one!) presidential candidates, or their handlers, have decided that they need to be graphically branded like Coca-Cola.
The Obama camp took it to a whole new, creepy level. And now I’m sure all the campaigns are focus grouping the bejeebers out of font styles and graphic elements. That the Clinton folks came up with something that resembles a hospital sign only says that they have the same level of taste in design that they do in candidates.
Three years ago Mitt Romney went to war with a squiggled red, white and blue “R” that said, “Please remember to brush after every meal and see your dentist twice a year!”
Let’s take a look at how the Republican entries are doing this go-around:
As we can see, Senators Paul and Cruz are on fire, supposedly with the Torch of Liberty but it could just be an angry mob. Paul’s is more esthetically pleasing but I dislike the use of just the first name. Just Elvis. Just Cher. Now, just “Rand.” And someone needs to tell Cruz’s people that in any American flag theme the stars always lead.
As for marcorubio – yeah, the man with evidently no shift key or space bar – all I have to say is, if you’re going to ripoff a look, you can do better than this:
As a logo designer, I think they are an important element of branding. However, they are just one element.
In general, campaign logos are usually awful. I like Rand’s logo, but Cruz’s and Marco’s are bad. Hillary’s is simply atrocious.
Would that be the Cork O’Rubios or the Limerick O’Rubios?
I think we need to see sHrillary’s logo with a caricature of Bill standing next to it. The arrow will make more sense that way.
Cthulhu has a new one for this year:
Well, she isn’t Obama. I suppose there’s less you can do with an H anyway.
So does Bush follow the first-name only thing to try and make everyone forget his last name? Is it a problem for Walker that Bush I went by W?
John? That might not play well. Maybe he could go by Ellis.
You know what I mean…
Yes, it’ll be Jeb 2016. We’ll just kind of forget about the family name thing. I think it’s unfair that’s a problem… but it is.
Rand Paul’s logo strikes me as effective, in that it fits the candidate and his message.
Even though, since he goes by his initials, the family name is baked right in with the B. Technically, it would be JEB, like JFK, but pronounced as a word rather than treated as initials. That way, he never has to have the last name at all…until the election ballots.
Coming into today. I saved the screenshot for a reason, since it likely won’t stay that way for long.
Logos are hard. Easy to spot the bad one, hard to design a good one.
It should be pointed out that as that is trademarked, it would be a violation of intellectual property rights for a candidate to use it.
Jack Bauer was played by a Canadian.
Rand’s looks like a logo for a medical research firm.
Cruz’s is OK, save for the flame, that just makes it look like he is campaigning for a slot on the olympic debate team.
Rubio’s is unmemorable.
Arahant
Jack Bauer was played by a Canadian.
Ricochet is not the place for Birthers.
Is it wrong for me to think that the flame on Cruz’s logo looks like it should be accompanied by a “thpththpth” sound? It just looks like an afterthought. It says “Ted Cruz!…… …… …… thtpththphphtht”.
Ted Cruz’s logo is perfectly apt, because every time I hear him speak I feel like I’ve been dipped in giant vat of Texas crude.
Hillary’s logo has a red arrow pointing right.
Subliminal?
Tommy, the message I got was Harrow.
Just another editing error I’d guess.
Well, since that usually indicates forward, and “Forward!” is a communist thing, I don’t think it’s subtle, especially with a red arrow.
Me to. Hard edges all around with a big red arrow DIRECTING THE PEOPLE WHAT TO DO,
It’s horrible. I’d expect to see a symbol like that on a plumber’s or mechanical contractors van “H” for heat.
And what does Lileks know about logos.
He’s from Minnesota.
Here’s a Reagan logo for you:
VOTE JEB FOR A BRIGHTER KERBIN!
…not just Canadian, but the son of communist sympathisers and the grandson of a socialist political leader (and “father” of Canuckistani “health care”).
I figured Canadian was shorthand for all of that.
It’s all downhill from here.
Grrr…
True, but there are still certain basic rules that generally help to prevent designing an awful one, which most of the current crop seemed to ignore.
None of them are merely mediocre (well, except for Cruz. His is “good enough, I suppose”.). They’re genuinely bad.
When the fake logos people design as jokes (like the Bauer-O’Brien or the Cthulhu2012) are better than the genuine ones, that’s an issue.
True, but a generic “winged rodent” image that has never been used by DC or Warner Bros would not be trademarked.