In think in all the years that we have had a president, we have never had one quite like Barack Obama when it comes to his ability to realize how important branding is to represent who we are and what we stand for. Everyone who followed this campaign will never forget his campaign logo or slogan “Change We Can Believe In.” Whether or not you were/are an Obama fan, his slogan was something people will never forget. He never backed down from it. He believed in what he was representing and that authenticity is what made him a strong competitor. It made him stand out from the pack and ultimately, I think, what gave him that edge. That is the importance of branding. I realize being president depends mostly on politics, but I can’t remember another president who seemed to make such a big impact with their branding — and he is at it again. On the blog Logo Design Next I came upon Barack Obama’s new branding project. It is the “The 787 Billion Dollar Economic Stimulus Package Logo.” I know this may be about a month old but this is the first time I have seen it and I am totally impressed. According to LogoDesignNext.com the logo design will be used on all projects funded by the recently launched stimulus package aimed at reviving the ailing US economy. The logo features different aspects of the stimulus package including a plant representing green technology, gears representing the infrastructure, a cross representing health care as well as stars from the US flag and the words Recovery.gov, the web site which will be used to track the progress of stimulus projects. When I think of politics and what they represent I never thought I would see something so modern like this. I think Barack Obama knows what branding is about and he is making his mark in the political world. No longer is it about conservatism, he knows how important it is to stand out and get noticed. This new logo really makes a statement and has a lot of symbolism behind it. So often I think logos try to encompass too much and they become too literal. $787 million is a lot to cover but I think this is a success. I can’t wait to see what they unveil next. So what do you think?
–Bethany
insight180 