So just around this time in the States, the most important (or what seems to be) election is in full swing, for the newly voted-in President for 2008 will not just affect Americans, but the entire world, either directly or indirectly. We can’t really reiterate our anxiety, disbelief and frustration at the current financial crisis, which hit home how dependent the world still is on the US performance, and how a certain someone needs to be kicked out of office. Stat. Pronto.
I’ve been paying a lot more attention this year than in ‘04, possibly because I understand the whole system a bit more, and the candidates (and their running mates) are just so much more “intriguing” and “different” to say the least.
Now as a designer, and having written a mini-thesis (well, it sure felt like one) on propaganda and advertising, I’ve been particularly fascinated with their design campaigns, and I know it’s probably late now to talk about it, but I’m going to anyway.
I noticed when watching footage from a 2004 Obama campaign, there hadn’t yet been the use of the iconic Gotham typeface, now made ubiquitous through the rigorous campaign front. (Of course, he hadn’t had the popularity and following he has now.) Back in ‘04 it was just some conservative-looking serif font, lacking the vitality and modern look and feel to push Obama’s message of “change” forward. It then struck me what an excellent choice Gotham was (designed by Tobias Frere-Jones in 2000), quintessentially American, but with all the sentiments of a modernist typeface.
Gotham aside, another great symbol of Obama’s pledge for change is his logo. There are two versions of this, one with the gradient and one with just solid colours. I love the gradient version. It evokes hope, like a beacon of pure light, a star rising above the horizon. The round O not just stands for Obama, but the united stand for change, as one people, one nation. This is further emphasised with the familiar, trusting and patriotic colours of the American flag. Idealistic, to be sure, but extremely well visualised. And simple! We loves the simplicity!
McCain, the ol’ maverick, is obviously on the other side of the coin, and his logo reflects that with a more military token style. Look at that pointy, shiny star! It screams Vietnam veteran! A man who’s been there, and knows what to do, just because he says so! To be fair, it’s simple, and probably easiest to identify from a distance, what with those pervasive horizontal lines converging at the centre. It’s a nice touch.
Interestingly the typeface used here is Optima (designed by Hermann Zapf between 1952- 1955). Personally I rather loathe Optima, because it never seems to fit into the context of what I’m working with. Yes, it’s a sans serif, but on the other hand it has humanist leanings. It is most famously used as the typeface for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., which is possibly the reason why John McCain’s crew took the typeface on. It suits his persona, to be sure. The navy blue background is the perfect tone as well, although I have seen the logo on black backgrounds as well, which is too dark, I think.
On Another Note
Just for good measure I checked out each candidate’s websites, Obama clearly being the winner in probably all aspects of usability, design and accessibility, not that McCain’s was bad, but the layout lets it down through inconsistent use of fonts (from condensed to bold to wide face, ugh!), not to mention different font sizes, all contributing to a garish, overblown impression. There’s no room to breathe! On print, you should really only stick to no more than 3 different typefaces and keep the sizes and alignment consistent for a steady and relaxing read; I think this rule should be adhered to even more strictly on the web. It’s the inconsistency that will frustrate any web user. It’s actually quite a poor attempt at web 2.0 standards. Conversely, Obama’s website is understated with a serious tone but it’s elegant, clean and quite easy to navigate. The message for “change” perpetuated in the Obama campaign is consistent through the familiar colours and fonts. Still, one good thing I like from the McCain website is that the type size in the logo for “McCain-Palin” is the same, rather than the Obama outsizing Biden on the Obama website. It shows an equal partnership. Minor point, but it’s those little things that always make a difference.
Verdict: if US Presidents could be voted on their design ethics and aesthetics rather than their government policies, then Obama wins, by quite a high margin!
I wonder what the design of this year’s ballot is like? Did you know that apparently Bush won Presidency in 2000 due to the structure of the voting boxes on the sheet? I’m rather appalled.
