Obama's Logo: A Change We Can See

Regardless of ones political beliefs Obama's logo and campaign were both revolutionary in the fields of Art history and graphic design.

I remember sitting in my Art History class and my professor getting excited because she knew some of the art historians working on the campaign.  We discussed the Orator's pose and the new concept for logo design.  In my Conceptual Graphic Design and Typography classes we talked about the versatility of the logo design, and the use of image as type, and type as image.

Not only is this the first time I can remember seeing a strong campaign logo, but it is also the first time where an actual street and graffiti artist played a major role in a political campaign with the iconic Shepard Fairey posters (pictured below).  It was, and still is, clear that there was something different.  Obama is about change, at least to much of the art world and counter cultures (but we wont get into that now).

Source: via Felicia on Pinterest

I am a fan of logos that can function as a recognizable image without text (such as Target and Nike).  Obama's logo accomplishes this and I cannot think of another presidential campaign with the same accomplishment (even the 2012 campaign). The Obama flag is a another example of the diversity his logo embraces.  Change was present in the visual rhetoric whether we believe we have seen it in Obama's time served in office or not.

I love this logo more than most anything dealing with the presidential campaigns.  It is a breath of fresh air in the 3 1/2 year long election season.  

What are your thoughts on the design?  Are there other election campaigns that have a srong visual language?

Keep reading for some blogs insights and posts offering deeper insight from the logo designers and more.



The genius of the Obama Campaign Logo  - Compares Obama's logo to other candidates.

Politics Meets Brand Design

Logo Design Ideas that Were not Chosen - you can really see the progression in the development of this logo.

Interview with the Logo Designers 

Story of the Campaign Logo from the Huffington Post - What makes Obama's logo unique?