Obama logo design – behind the scenes

Now that the USA Presidential Campaign is over, the dissection of everything associated with it begins. One of the items under the microscope is Barack Obama’s campaign marketing in general, and the Obama logo design in specific. Interesting to look back at what people thought of the Obama mark at the time (referred to by some as the ‘hardest working logo of the campaign’). I wasn’t terribly excited about the logo (nor any of the other primary election campaign designs) at first, but have got to give the Obama icon props for capturing a nation’s imagination, and being at the vanguard of a political movement, certainly a barometer of a logos success if there ever was one.

Couple of videos featuring Sol Sender of Sender, LLC, the company behind the Obama ‘08 campaign logo. A little dry but a fascinating look under the hood for anyone who’s into logos and design. The vid’s split into two halves – I’ve jotted down some of the things I found interesting and placed them underneath each video.

Sol Sender – Obama Logo Design Part 1 of 2

Some interesting bits – Sender wanted to create something ‘really new’ but held back because of some early criticism of Obama’s lack of experience. Wanted to keep red. white and blue but viewed the political design landscape as ‘gray’. Other candidates designs (this was introduced during the primary election) were all typographic treatments (you can see them here). Hope and Change was an integral part of the design approach since day one. This was the firm’s first political logo. The new logo had to ‘mean something’. The firm’s design process usually involves 2-5 preliminary concepts, but with the Obama campaign logo there was ‘a lot of excitement’ and ‘15 to 16 options’ created (though, according to an interview Sender gave to the New York Times, only ’seven or eight’ were actually presented to the Obama campaign for evaluation).

Sol Sender – Obama Logo Design Part 2 of 2

Some interesting bits – While the logo was designed by Sender, it was adapted by the campaign’s internal design agency – New Media for Obama for America – using the celebrated logo treatments on Obama’s website. The design was developed for social media such as iPhone apps. The logo became ‘viral’ – none of which were ‘allowed’ (under licensing and copyright) but it wasn’t policed. Unofficial applications of the logo were everywhere – websites featuring how-tos on pumpkin carving and cupcake recipes were among the favorites. Someone printed T-shirts – Pirates for Obama – using an upside version of the logo which looks like, well, a pirate.

For (a little) more on the design of Obama’s campaign logo, see Sol Sender’s interview in the online edition of The New York Times. We also named the Obama campaign logo as the best logo of 2008.

Related posts:

1. Obama Inauguration Poster
2. Obama has best political logo?
3. Pepsi is in the tank for Obama
4. Obama Presidential Seal logo flap
5. Obama poster photograph mystery

Tags: politics