‘Jeb,’ He Exclaimed

 

Jeb logoJohn Ellis Bush, a.k.a. Jeb, tweeted out his campaign logo Sunday; an  amusebouche before the big campaign announcement. The reaction was not positive, though I’ve yet to see presidential branding highly praised in the online fever swamps.

As a graphic designer, I’m often asked what I think of various campaign logos. Reactions usually span from “meh” to “that’s atrocious” and Jeb’s entry falls betwixt the two. I rather like the Baskerville Bold font for the “Jeb” and the Hypatia variant for “2016.”

But that exclamation mark.

In a company logo, this punctuation can imply playfulness, a la Yahoo! But adding an exclamation mark to a candidate’s name is a screaming admission he is boring. Worse still, adding !!! can’t generate excitement if the subject does not. “Cabbage!” doesn’t make me want to eat the stuff.

Granted, Jeb has used this formula since his first gubernatorial campaign, but it’s not 1994 anymore. And it’s not as if the punctuation is a winner electorally. Let’s review every presidential candidate who tried the !.

 nelsonrockefeller1968 In 1968, Nelson Rockefeller ran a stealth campaign, hinting he was the best candidate for the Republican nomination! Richard Nixon won the nomination on the first ballot!
 edmuskie1972 In 1972, Edmund Muskie was the strong favorite to win the Democratic nomination! After barely eking out wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, the party dumped him for George McGovern! (When McGovern is viewed as the exciting candidate, you have a problem!)
 lamar In 1996, Lamar Alexander finished third in Iowa and New Hampshire, after which he dropped out! In 2000, he took dusted off the exclamation mark and tried again, this time quitting after the Ames Straw Poll!
 paulwellstone2002 Sen. Paul Wellstone began touring early primary states to test the waters for a 2000 run! Despite the impressive punctuation, he didn’t have enough support to officially announce his candidacy! (Aren’t all these exclamation marks annoying?!)

What unifies these four candidates is their dullness and their failure. It remains to be seen if Jeb’s exclamation mark can ignite the passions of a weary nation, but history indicates he’d have been better off using a period.

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  1. user_3444 Coolidge
    user_3444
    @JosephStanko

    Since he speaks Spanish perhaps he should have gone with: ¡Jeb!

    • #1
  2. user_44643 Inactive
    user_44643
    @MikeLaRoche

    Bloody marvelous!

    • #2
  3. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    The Hound of the Baskerville Bold.

    • #3
  4. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    No!

    And does he really think we won’t remember his last name?

    • #4
  5. Yeah...ok. Inactive
    Yeah...ok.
    @Yeahok

    I wonder if more Mike Murphy would help?

    • #5
  6. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Jeb$

    • #6
  7. user_44643 Inactive
    user_44643
    @MikeLaRoche

    Yeah…ok.:I wonder if more Mike Murphy would help?

    I’m sure he’d love to use this as a campaign slogan: “The peasants are revolting!”

    • #7
  8. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: Josh Ellis Bush, a.k.a. Jeb,

    John, not Josh.

    • #8
  9. Jon Gabriel, Ed. Contributor
    Jon Gabriel, Ed.
    @jon

    Arahant:

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: Josh Ellis Bush, a.k.a. Jeb,

    John, not Josh.

    Fixed!

    • #9
  10. Jon Gabriel, Ed. Contributor
    Jon Gabriel, Ed.
    @jon

    What the heck, I might as well toss my hat into the ring.
    Jon logo

    • #10
  11. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:Jon logo

    Are you even old enough?

    • #11
  12. user_8847 Inactive
    user_8847
    @FordPenney

    Its slightly more unctuous than the simple description of the parts.

    Its trying to be ‘everyday/everyman’ with the upper and lower case and then excited with itself for being so humble… give us a break.

    And Jon… don’t make me get out my Trajan!

    • #12
  13. Nick Stuart Inactive
    Nick Stuart
    @NickStuart

    Joseph Stanko:Since he speaks Spanish perhaps he should have gone with: ¡Jeb!

    Somewhere on the interwebz today I saw signs made up like that.

    If Jeb? has such awesome conservative bona fides he could do himself a huge favor with the conservative “base” by laying off sticking his finger in their eyes at every possible opportunity.

    • #13
  14. Ricochet Member
    Ricochet
    @

    The exclamation point makes me feel like I’m/we’re being raped politically.

    Yeb?

    Yuck.

    • #14
  15. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    I feel the same way about cabbage…and Jeb!(?) Bush.

    • #15
  16. Ricochet Member
    Ricochet
    @

    My submission was rejected by Mike Murphy.

    Jeb the Next!

    I thought it encapsulated the jist pretty well. But he’s the expert.

    • #16
  17. WI Con Member
    WI Con
    @WICon

    That font and color remind me of ‘Jiff’ peanut butter.

    Why not an exclamation mark for each Bush that have or are seeking the Presidency:

    Bush ! ! !

    • #17
  18. billy Inactive
    billy
    @billy

    billy!

    I dunno, it has a certain hook. Maybe I should run. Anyone have 100 million in start-up money for an exploratory committee?

    • #18
  19. Ricochet Member
    Ricochet
    @EustaceCScrubb

    Jeb* 2016

    (*not to be confused with Jed or Jud)

    • #19
  20. Leigh Inactive
    Leigh
    @Leigh

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: As a graphic designer, I’m often asked what I think of various campaign logos. Reactions usually span from “meh” to “that’s atrocious” and Jeb’s entry falls betwixt the two.

    Any that you actually like?  Other than Obama’s, which I think I remember you praising?

    • #20
  21. Dave_L Inactive
    Dave_L
    @Dave-L

    Yeah…ok.:I wonder if more Mike Murphy would help?

    I still get twitchy when I think of Murphy’s interview on the Ricochet Podcast a year ago.

    • #21
  22. user_139157 Inactive
    user_139157
    @PaulJCroeber

    Is the emphasis on the Jeb or the 2016?  I’m more excited for the latter.

    • #22
  23. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    This kind of strikes me as a visualization of the Howard Dean screech.

    • #23
  24. ParisParamus Inactive
    ParisParamus
    @ParisParamus

    Au contraire, an “!” does make me want to eat a lot of cabbage.  But not vote of Jeb!

    • #24
  25. user_7742 Inactive
    user_7742
    @BrianWatt

    Jeb

    • #25
  26. Barfly Member
    Barfly
    @Barfly

    Nick Stuart:

    Joseph Stanko:Since he speaks Spanish perhaps he should have gone with: ¡Jeb!

    Somewhere on the interwebz today I saw signs made up like that.

    If Jeb? has such awesome conservative bona fides he could do himself a huge favor with the conservative “base” by laying off sticking his finger in their eyes at every possible opportunity.

    I’m watching that segment right now on Chris Hayes’s show on MSNBC. (Sound down. I’ll only go so far to bring y’all the news.)

    They’re professionally done signs, obviously from Jeb!’s campaign. I’d say the ¡Jeb! angle was planned from the start and likely was the motivation for the logo.

    Now Hayes is running a series of photos of the three Bushes. I just know he’s talking about the problematic dynasty aspect. I’m actually scared to turn the sound up now because I’d probably agree with him, and that’d just ruin my evening.

    • #26
  27. user_44643 Inactive
    user_44643
    @MikeLaRoche

    ¡Arbusto!

    • #27
  28. Eeyore Member
    Eeyore
    @Eeyore

    Jeb honest: Jeb…

    Jeb meta: Jeb; 

    Jeb & the young’uns: Jeb ;)

    • #28
  29. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Mike LaRoche:¡Arbusto!

    Does he go by JEB in Spanish, too? Or is he Juan there?

    • #29
  30. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    Arahant:

    Mike LaRoche:¡Arbusto!

    Does he go by JEB in Spanish, too? Or is he Juan there?

    Yes, but he pronounces it “Heb.”

    • #30
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