Presidential logos from 1960 - 2008 [Politics Suck]

I’ve always been fascinated with the branding of presidential campaigns– with how people running for president get with graphic designers, marketing idiots etc to present their image to both their diehard fans and people who may not know them at all. How to convey a message without actually writing out the message, only through a few colors and fonts.

I remember in ‘92 , when Bill Clinton was first running for president, as a budding graphic designer, I was fascinated with the Clinton / Gore signs. I still think they’re incredibly iconic and well put together– the use of a bold barely serif font says modern but still holding on to tried and true tradition, with one of the most stunning uses of the stripes of the American flag that’s bright and forward-looking, that was so effective that Hillary used almost the exact same look for much of her campaign. Compare that to the Reagan / Bush and Bush / Quayle branding of earlier elections, where the dark blue with a solid serif font and a minimum of graphic elements says solidly conservative and steadfast.

In this current rat race to the White House, much has been written already about Obama’s branding. His use of narrow, sans-serif fonts, gradients and his clever rising sun O logo not just says that he’s a whole new thing, but he’s the whole new thing of the Internet, Web 2.0 generation. In his logo, he not only echoes his main message of hope and change, but a change that’s specifically tailored for the young and the young at heart and those who are savvy and on the cutting edge.

Anyway, click here to see the whole fantastic collection of logos via Logoblink.