Well, its official. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton is running for President of the United States in 2016. She announced it on her Twitter account yesterday, and that wasn't all that was announced. Her campaign logo was released, and it has caused a frenzy. People from all walks of life have taken to social media, blogs, the person standing on the corner, to pretty much anything that will allow them to hear their voice to critique and analyze her new logo. The life of a politician in America.
Here is the logo:
*photo retrieved here
One of the most significant critiques of her logo is the red arrow pointing to the right. Of course, the Democrats are associated with the color blue and having an agenda that is geared toward the "left." Republicans are represented with red and are associated with having an agenda that is geared toward the "right". So, a Democrat running for President with a logo that has a red arrow pointing right seems a bit questionable and contradicting. Design strategy on the logo leaves a great deal of interpretation for the audience. This can lead to widespread confusion for the general public, which it already has done. Here are a few examples from Twitter that display the dissatisfaction for the logo:
Here we see associations with 9/11, the Republican Party, and even trademark violations being expressed. While some of these critiques seem a bit arbitrary (especially the FedEx and 9/11 references), it is important to take in consideration what the audience sees and how they will interpret it. I am sure Hillary Clinton and her creative team had a vision when designing the logo, and also felt confident it was the best version to roll out to the public. Even so, it does surprise me she decided to go with this color scheme and design. Hillary Clinton, of all people, should know the mindset and ruthlessness of the American public. I cannot confirm if she will change the logo or not, but her first step towards winning American voters' trust has started on a shaky note.
One conclusion that we can come to when it comes to advertising, politics, or advertising in politics, is that sometimes simplicity can become more complicated than originally imagined. More importantly, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!
When I saw this logo I thought it was literally a joke. Why would any democratic candidate put an arrow pointing towards the right? At the same time it looks something copy and pasted from the Fed Ex logo. I have to say I'm disappointed in whoever thought this would be a good idea for anyone besides a republican or conservative.
ReplyDeleteThis is really important because companies may not realize the implications that their logos may have. Hillary probably didn't mean that she was going to be heading right politically, but symbols have meaning and it is easy to see how it could be misinterpreted. Brands should take this as a lesson for how a good-looking logo can go wrong.
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