Logo Politics
What logo would you vote for?
21 April 2009On the eve of South Africa’s fourth democratic elections, the South African political scene has never been more colourful. The emergence of COPE, the re-branding of the DA and a total of 173 different parties contesting the national and provincial elections, our lampposts have blossomed into a cacophony of competing claims.
Of course political parties are brands as well as organisations. And as with any brand, their logos form the foundation of their corporate identity. But just how strong are these foundations graphically? We asked our creative’s to turn critics and pass judgement on the logos of the six biggest political parties …
AFRICAN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Grant: Go straight hell, boy!
Luanne: Strong religious values coming through. I find the colour combination a bit strange. Blue is trusting, calm and friendly, while the red feels aggressive. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, I guess.
Richard: A mess!
L: Visually strong, the two arrows pointing towards the centre where the cross is. If the logo was reversed out of a turquoise circle, with a thin white keyline around the red and the type ‘ACDP’ in white, it would have been even stronger.
Nic: Deliberately divisive, sheep and goats stuff. I do like the Ndebele influence however.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
Grant: Classic, uncompramising, wouldn’t mess with it.
Luanne: Strong, African, historical logo, if somewhat aggressive in nature.
Richard: Powerful… Very strong colours, very noticeable!
L: Because of the black, the logo is strong, but design-wise, is the weakest. The imagery is dated, reminds you of boer war times. The Helvetica typeface is also old and dated.
Nic: Undeniably emotive. A resonant reminder that the ANC has only been a political party – as opposed to a revolutionary movement – for a short period of its 97 year history. Personally, I would have preferred the whole thing to face to the right instead of the left. This is not a political comment: because of the way we read, left to right suggests a forward, as opposed to a backward movement.
CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE
Grant: Good, but is it Jamacia?
Luanne: A great logo. Very African but with a contemporary and relevant feel. Kind of makes the ANC logo look dated instead of historical.
Richard: Quite strong – looks like the SA flag in a kaleidoscope.
L: Visually strong, using the colours of the South African flag with an interesting three dimensional feel to it. The ‘X’ in the middle could symbolize a cross when voting. Also has a feeling of the coming together of different ideas to create something strong.
Nic: The voting cross concept works well. Still struggle with this party’s acronym however: is coping all they aspire to?
DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE
Grant: Total rip-off from Obama’s campaign! Unethical!
Luanne: I would love this logo if I hadn’t seen the Obama original. It’s a complete rip off! It’s shocking actually that this kind of blatant imitation is allowed. I don’t know who to blame here, the political party or the graphic designers behind it…. Inspiration is great, but imitation is just embarrassing.
Richard: A promise of a better tomorrow, quite nice.
L: Visually fresh, the rainbow feeling is of a promise, or the different colours could also symbolize the ‘rainbow nation’ all having the same dreams and aspirations for the future. A huge improvement compared to where they were. Because no black is used, has a friendly feeling, but at the same time the simplicity and quality of lines give a feeling of strength.
Nic: An blank future? A bleak horizon? The empty centre of the DA’s new ‘dinner plate’ logo perfectly echoes the moral bankruptcy of a party that has blatantly and deliberately Obama-fied itself.
INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS
Grant: A night spent in jail?
Luanne: Not bad, I think the idea of the finger print is great, but may be impractical in certain media placements, especially when it is very small or on a fax or something.
Richard: Clever idea, but very weak visually.
L: Fingerprint idea is nice combined with the name of the party, but will the general public understand it?. The Times Italic typeface is not strong enough and feels dated.
Nic: Like the concept, not the execution.
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
Grant: Welcome to Ado Elephant park, have a nice day!
Luanne: Cute, game park…
Richard: Looks like a sign to an elephant park!
L: Looks like a kiddies badge for a fun school excursion. The elephants look too happy and playful. Wouldn’t take the logo seriously.
Nic: Charming naivete! Rogue elephants can however be extremely dangerous animals…
What about Azapo and the VF? How do the extreme ends of the spectrum measure up?
Good point - and what about the lunatic fringe? Why isn’t the Toy Party contesting this year?
Funny how the split in design opinion about the ANC vs DA logo amongst the designers (ANC 4; DA 1) almost mirrors actual vote in the country! Fascinating.
I am planning on buying the iPhone 3G once I’m able to upgrade my phone, and I may go on youtube and the internet once I get the phone. But I’m unsure of how much it would cost to go on the internet/youtube. So how much would it cost?
________________
unlock iphone 3g
You made a great position with what you stated. A great number of people should read your post so they can have a greater perspective on this topic. It was wonderful of you to supply excellent information and encouraging reasons. After reading this, I know my mind is pretty clear on the matter. Continue the truly amazing work!