- DECEMBER 20, 2009
-
-
CLIMATE CHANGE
What Were We Expecting From Copenhagen?
-
FEEDBACK
Pulse Moots Alternative Global Thinkers List
-
MAILBAG
What Sudan's Christmas Card Looks Like
The DNC logo is a train wreck
Posted By Travis Daub
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 - 12:53 PM
Share
The Democrats should be eager to cast off the negative stereotypes that they've accumulated since since Gore lost to Bush in 2000 -- weak on defense issues, wishy-washy, too touchy-feely, disorganized, and unfocused. But this logo does exactly the opposite. The soft gradients and jumbled type only serve to reinforce those negatives.
- The colors are washed out. Red, white, and blue in a political context should never fade to pink and baby powder. It looks weak. Red is always a dangerous color to run to a gradient in a logo for that very reason.
- And while I'm talking about color, why is the sky a burning red? Has a nuclear bomb just gone off somewhere over the horizon? Has global warming gotten that bad already?
- The stars overweight the logo on the left side, making the whole thing feel too asymmetrical. They also remind me of the stars a cartoonist might draw over a character's head to indicate that he's had too much to drink.
- The tightly kerned sans-serif type is completely out of phase with all of Obama's materials, which provide for much more air between each character.
The right side of the logo reminds me of Enron's Logo. I don't understand why those large chunks have been taken out of the mountains. Is it supposed to look like a plug or a puzzle piece?- Why is the "0" so much bigger than the "8"? Yes, I'm sure that's the nature of the type they chose, but it looks terrible. This election is about the "8," not the "0"
- Why are there mountains anyway? I know they're there to tip the hat to Denver, the convention's host city -- but why? Is this convention being held for Denver or for the country as a whole?
- Strong, solid colors. Similar to the deep blue on Obama's materials.
- Clean, simple type. Go serif to make it different, but not too different.
- A horizon that looks like a sunrise, or some other imagery that points us to the future, not a nuclear holocaust. Hell, even some clichéd "21st century digital" bric-a-brack in the background would be better.
Kidzib & nquixote,
I couldn't disagree more. Consider the fact that this is one of the most historic political conventions ever held; that images of Barack Obama at this convention are likely to become canon in american political history—like Reagan in a cowboy hat, "Dewey Defeats Truman," etc. The DNC logo will always be there, rusting away in the background.
This logo, which clearly represents the worst possible outcome of "design by committee, not only looks bad, but reveals one of the core weaknesses of the Democrats right now: An inability to form a unified message. The logo is a hodge-podge of ideas.
Outside the confines of the party, the Obama campaign has done an outstanding job of pushing a unified message, but the party is clearly still in disarray. Obama at this point, apparently doesn't have enough power to push for radical change inside the party. This logo was settled on last October, so any change would mean ripping up work that was already finished. But getting this message right is one of the most important tasks for a political party to accomplish in an election year, and it was worth doing over. It's important for the Democrats to look as singular in purpose as possible. One platform, one candidate, one single shade of blue.
BTW, Chris, I love your comment that it looks like the PRC flag. You're dead on.
Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.
Read More
December 2009
-
Special Report
-
The List
-
The FP Survey
(11)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE