Stay Charged: Hilary vs. Obama

It's May 6th in North Carolina which means we finally get our chance to vote for our candidates, democrat, republican, Hillary or Obama.

In one of my recent blog posts, Keep It Charged I wrote that each week I'd pick an icon from the 25 Ways To Stay Inspired. For obvious reasons I choose politics this week. Politics have a way of bringing out your own true beliefs and with the way things are in this country it's very important to stand for what you believe in. So this seems like a pretty good topic to discuss.


Right now is a very exciting and fascinating time in US history. It's going to be a democrat in the White House and it'll either be a woman or African American man in the drivers seat. I don't think anybody imagined it a decade ago. This is the second time I've voted while living in America and the last time my candidate didn't win in the General election. That may happen again, but it doesn't matter. Voting in America is a big deal, the leaders of this country effect the whole world, not just in our backyard. The biggest mistake I made since I've been in the US was not voting in the Bush vs. Gore election. Since then I pay a special interest in US politics.

Rather than discussing the two candidates pros and cons I thought it would be more interesting to review their logos since the brand represents the candidates and their goals.

Hilary. On the surface it looks like most political logos, but the intent behind it speaks volumes. Most people view her as a Bill Clinton puppet, bossy, aggressive, serious and too ambitious. So to tackle this they did a number of smart things.

1. The bold serif type face shows a softer side while still being bold and strong for the American people. Imagine how it would look sans serif. The font looks like Times New Roman which is a font that everybody is used to, it's used on every PC in the world.
2. You'll notice it's "Hillary" not "Hillary Clinton" or "Clinton". She stands on her own separate from her husband or any of the negative PR that happened to him or her while in the White House.
3. The flag is interesting, very traditional. They could have done the obvious and put a star in the "i". Instead they chose a long flag, similar to her campaign in that she's in it for the long haul. This might have been intended to represent the terms of her presidency but it seems to have taken on a new meaning now. The three stars are also interesting, they might subtlety mean family unity. This would be the spot where she includes Bill and Chelsea and shows that family is what keeps her grounded.
4. Lastly, the face value. It looks like others which works in her favor, she's not an outsider and she's been in Washington for awhile. This would give people confidence that she know's what she's doing.

Obama. This logo is completely opposite to the previous. Some feel that he doesn't have experience and we're not yet ready for change. Rather than downplaying it, they made that the focus.

1. The "O" in the Obama icon is definitely the focal point of his mark. All his intentions for his presidency and campaign are right here. The sun/moon shows that he is the new dawn for America. The glow from the circle on to the red stripes show that change is coming. Notice how it's not a star, it's all circles which tie into his name.

1. The other interesting part to his logo is the stripes. I guess because I live in Charlotte and I see Bank of America everywhere, stripes bother me because BofA uses them too. The stripes mean the US flag of course, but they could also mean the wheat fields of the Midwest, which also speaks to the working man. What's also interesting is how they point to the right. Pointing to the right traditionally means a forward motion. It's a forward motion because we read from left to right. Pointing to the opposite direction subconsciously means you are going backwards.
2. "Obama" is such an interesting name, very memorable. I like how its kept simple and not complicated with "Barack". "Barack" also makes me think of Iraq?
   
3. Lastly the serif typeface. A similar approach to the previous logo in that it's soft and easy to read. What's interesting is that it's a font I don't recognize. It might have been a font specifically created for him. It's simple, pointed and smooth. Having seen his commercials, posters and website, I've noticed that he has very good designers working for him. It's all been well executed and edgy. This is quite opposite to the previous logo in that it's more of the same. He has a large youthful demographic helping him and it shows in the type. One other note is that this logo has '08 which ties in nicely to the icon and his name. The two O's reinforce his name in the subconscious, say "Obama 'O8".

Two completely different logos, one traditional and the other modern. One has the experience the other has big ambitions. One takes the path already taken while the other will make their own path. Two very different candidates, two very interesting logos. Today is interesting because I like the mark of one but voted for the other. Does the logo reflect your opinion of the candidates? It does and it doesn't. For me, I already made up my mind back when I watched the early debates. For some that have only seen the commercials or the signs I'm sure it has more influence.

For those of you in the U.S., I hope you voted, big things are happening and change is coming.

To see other campaign logos you can go to logovoting.com.