Logo Campign: McCain
By Mark Kaufman
In the second installment of the Logo campaign we take a look at the mark of presidential frontrunner, Senator John McCain. Here is the McCain 2008 logo, and below it is the McCain Foods mark. Now I am not the first to say it, but there is a bit of a resemblance between the two. In fact that’s what immediately came to mind, there’s not much John McCain can do short of changing his name and that’s not going to happen. It’s unfortunate that a candidate that has to fight off the perception that he’s too old has to the same name as a frozen food company, but as Donald Rumsfeld once said “...you go to war with the army you have--not the army you might want or wish to have...”
As far as the logo goes I actually like it. As for the typeface I don’t usually like the Optima typeface but I think it suits McCain. It falls somewhere in the netherworld between the usual Bush/Cheney bold, sans serif, manly, Republican typeface and the Kerry/Edwards serif, dainty, progressive typeface. I also like the restrained use of the star, it is reminiscent of a military star or medal, reminding us that the Senator is a true American hero and of his military service without bashing you in the face with it. So far I have only seen the logo on the McCain website and it is only shown in black and white, no red, white and blue, no flags. It fits in well with the overall McCain 2008 brand, the site and the logo are no nonsense, use black and white photos, and a use limited color pallette. So overall a thumbs up from me. It could have been worse. Take a look at the McCain 2000 website here. Even if you are not crazy about the new logo, you must admit that the 2008 brand a vast improvement over the old one.
Mark Kaufman
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Reader Comments (14)
The star used in the 08 logo is an obvious military reference. The star in the foods logo is a throwback to the forward looking modernist star of the 1950s-early 60s. The typefaces are so different, 08 is very formal, once again the food logo feels modernist.
McCain 08 speaks of structure, and tradition. The foods logo has a strong diagonal to imply forward movement and forward thinking, but at the same time the retro qualities harken back to a simpler time.
So, not even close.
As I said it is what came to mind, nothing short of changing his name can stop that connection from forming. I also stated the obvious point that you made regarding the military motif, and the choice of typeface is a traditional one. No arguments there. However the use of stars be they modernist or militaristic certainly leads one to see a similarity. I in no way am inferring the 2 marks are carbon copies of each other. And they are more different than alike, but you can't on one hand say that McCain foods is both forward looking and retro. John McCain the man, John McCain the logo is nothing if not retro.
Excellent point I did not know that.
Mark
That is sweet! It has it all, flags, his head, his logo, and most importantly, it has o8 wrapped in a heavenly glow. Nicely done.
Hve you seen the Fox news bit on the Daily Show on Fox News? A perfect companion piece. Count the flags!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/11/smackdown-the-emdaily-sho_n_96185.html
Mark
The President is not just a US figure head, but a key player on the world stage, and the world does not want an 'All American War Hero'
They want a statesman who will make the world a better place to live, not another insular warmonger who is scared of anyone who is not American.
Thanks for writing. I totally agree, the world ain't crazy about another in a long line of super patriots running the show in America and the rest of the world. What the McCain team, and Republicans overall realize is there is a large contingent of Americans who definately want that. Or, if they aren't sure if that is what they want they certainly are open to being bamboozled into thinking that is what they want, need and yearn for. A strongman in the oval office that won't take shit from old Europe, tin horn dictators or "Islamo terrorists". Concurrently they are always able to position the GOP as the ones that will keep us safe, and the Democrats, and the left are a bunch of limp-wristed, unpatriotic eggheads, That is of course WRONG, but that is certainly the meme that has worked for the longest while. I am hoping that is no longer the case. We shall see.
Cheers,
Mark Kaufman
I have only seen both candidates ads secondhand, i.e. replayed on cable news, I have never seen an ad on a regular ad buy yet. I guess because Washington isn't a battle ground state. I imagine that if you lived in Michigan or Pennsylvaania you have probably seen too many political ads.
Cheers,
Mark Kaufman
Thanks for the comparison :)
When I see John McCain I think of maashed potatoes...
For over 50 years, McCain Foods has been privately-held by a Canadian family that is not related in any way to the senator.The fact that John McCain and our company share the same name is a pure coincidence and the connection ends there. We are dedicated to offering consumers products that have the best possible nutritional profile without compromising taste and pleasure. Rest assured that we are not involved in politics.
For more information: www.mccain.com