Tyrone Pardue

Illustration by Ward Sutton for The New York Times.

This has got to be one of the most successful branding projects ever completed. For starters, imagine a black guy named Barack Husein Obama, only early 40's, Junior Senator, thinking he can slip in to the most powerful position on earth! Then think about how from a branding point of view, you would have to overcome all those negatives. If he had been a product in a supermarket, he would have stood no chance.


But the extremely disciplined brand identity, like the campaign itself was a marvel to behold. As a designer I found myself giggling like a kid when I saw the implementation of typography, color and imagery, masterfully controlled. The Obama brand, centered around the logo itself was completely in-tune with the campaign messaging. The 'O' for Obama, the rising sun, the field of red stripes from the flag, all seamed to inspire the 'hope' of a better day dawning soon in a new world called Obama-land.

The logo made me think this campaign was promising that you could just swallow a 'magic pill' called Obama and wake up the next morning and all would be fine. I wonder if the designer knew how much like a 'magic pill' this logo turned out to be? Subconsciously, people were looking for the medication, the cure from the last eight years, and this little red white and blue circular 'pill' looked perfect for swallowing!