Penguin Creative

May The Best Logo Win

Posted by Lee Steffen | Filed under Branding, Graphic Design

Salon.com has a great article on the strategy, and importance, of a strong visual identity in the presidential race. I love the way they put it: “The battle for the presidency may have as much to do with fonts, flags and sunrises as healthcare plans and war stances.”

Apparently, not all of the candidates think their graphics are particularly important, based on some of the below logos. But there is one clear standout in the batch. “Obama is marketing like Apple, Nike or Starbucks. He’s selling an experience. It is all done with such skill and finesse that as a professional I am in absolute awe,” according to Michael Beirut of Pentagram.

Obama’s signature “O” is the product of Chicago-based branding firm Sender. A true logo, one that is recognizable apart from the candidate’s name, it uses the traditional color palette. “You can’t walk away from the red, white and blue completely,” argues Sol Sender, the company’s president, “so what can you do that’s new and fresh?” Sender’s team came up with a white sunrise against a blue sky, over a landscape implied by red and white stripes. Indeed, it seems to be an allusion to Ronald Reagan’s effective 1984 slogan: “It’s morning in America.” It also recalls the Japanese rising sun and, more interestingly, has a strong graphic kinship with the state flag of Arizona, home state of Republican front-runner John McCain.