The 2020 DNC branding is bolder and more expressive than we’re used to
When Democrats meet in Milwaukee in July for their national convention, they’ll be greeted by a 2020 DNC visual identity that’s unlike any we’ve seen in recent years. In this week’s issue, I have the deets. We’ll also look at:
This fashion brand advertised its politics-inspired collection with a fictional dystopian newscast
Artist Edel Rodriguez enters his Bernie phase
What happens to unsold campaign merch?
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Notes on campaign design: The 2020 DNC branding is bolder and more expressive than we’re used to
National convention branding isn’t typically all that sophisticated. Since the focus is on the nominee, convention logos tend to take a backseat to the nominee’s branding or get completely subsumed by it, as was the case with the 2012 DNC, which used a logo based off the Obama O logo.
But that won’t be the case for the 2020 DNC, which will use an expressive visual identity that was released Monday and designed by the Milwaukee- and New York City-based branding agency Zero Studios in collaboration with Wide Eye.
The branding system was inspired by “Forward,” the Wisconsin state motto. The word appears on the state’s flag and symbolizes the Democratic Party’s “vision for positive progress in America,” according to Zero Studios’ site about the identity. “Forward” also happens to be former President Obama’s 2012 reelection slogan.
The main icon is a letter D with its counter — or, the negative space in a letterform — made from a star composed of a forward-pointing delta. The D icon is used as a stand-alone logo and as part of multiple variants of a “D20” logo.
The identity is a definite upgrade from the logo Milwaukee used in its bid to host the convention, which itself was just a riff off the 2016 DNC logo for Philadelphia. Neither is particularly memorable.
The 2020 DNC color palette includes “Democratic Cyan,” “American Flag” blue, white, and red, and “Wisconsin Gold.”
The typeface used is Neue Haas Grotesk, which is a restoration of the original Helvetica.
This fashion brand advertised its politics-inspired collection with a fictional dystopian newscast
Balenciaga went live on social media last week with a creepy looping newscast to show off its summer ‘20 collection (you can watch the full video here).
The fictional newscast was anchored by a model wearing the luxury fashion brand’s $2,250 Campaign crewneck dress in red with exaggerated shoulders. The anchor covers stories like “Planets Realign” and “Where is The Water Going?” with model-reporters. Their mouth movements are all animated, and none of them actually say anything.
Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia said the collection’s Campaign dresses were meant to be “democratic and easy-to-wear” and inspired by political dress, according to Vogue.
“We looked at pictures of women politicians, of what they wear campaigning,” Gvasalia said. “We took this type of tailored daywear dress and tried to make it cool—not an easy challenge, to be honest.”
You can spot what appears to be Trump family influences in the collection, with strong, angular, Melania-like shoulders and buttons on several women’s items. The fit of the oversized men’s Boxy suit (top right) reminds me of President Trump’s large suits.
It’s not all Trump, though. The emerald green Dynasty double breasted suit (bottom left) feels very ‘90s first lady Hillary Clinton to me. The Pillow puffer jacket (bottom right) is simply outrageous. The longer I look at it, the more I find myself wondering if it’s just a preview of style to come, when fashion is informed by extreme climate above all else.
Artist Edel Rodriguez enters his Bernie phase
Credit: @edelrodriguez/Instagram
In an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said that he opposed “the authoritarian nature” of Communist Cuba but that it wasn’t all bad, citing a literacy program. Sanders’ comments didn’t sit well with people including some of his Democrats opponents and with some Cuban Americans.
Edel Rodriguez, a Cuban-American artist known for his orange Trump covers for Time and Der Spiegel, reacted to the news with three successive Instagram posts about Sanders. His first, of Sanders and Trump, was labeled with “Socialism or Death,” inspired by the Spanish phrase “Socialisimo o Muerte” used in Communist Cuba.
“If you have to pick one of these at the moment, I’d go with the one on the left, but some are choosing death,” Rodriguez wrote in the comments of the image.
His next post was what he called a two-second “fix” for “Bernie’s little P.R. issue.”
Credit: @edelrodriguez/Instagram
Followed by this image of Sanders in a graphic shirt with the image of communist revolutionary "Che" Guevara. It was captioned “‘Tourist.’”
Credit: @edelrodriguez/Instagram
Rodriguez tweeted several things today that seemed aimed at Sanders, including, “if you don’t want me to do an illustration of you, don’t say something stupid” and:
What happens to unsold campaign merch?
Credit: Cyndy Waters
That’s a good question.
“What ends up happening is you either leave it up online and you can sell it, or you can donate it or throw it away,” Austin Braumann, a district manager for Connecticut-based vendor Old Glory, told the New York Times.
The Times found that many campaigns don’t have a plan for what to do with unsold shirts, buttons, or other merchandise if their candidate drops out. Here are what some campaigns have done:
Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) 2012 presidential campaign donated hundreds of shirts and hats to the Orbit Village Project, which does charity work in Kenya.
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang’s campaign is keeping their store open, and their entire inventory is currently 60% off. Former Yang campaign manager Zach Graumann said, “our campaign swag is actually cool, so even after we’re done running, people still want it.”
Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-Calif.) campaign said they planned to recycle their items.
Some items can be used in future campaigns if they’re not marked with a year. “Politicians, a lot of times they’re lifers,” Jason Worrix, marketing director for Kentucky print shop My Campaign Store said. “Especially for yard signs and things, we print a lot of stickers that say ‘re-elect,’ or cover up positions and years to modify what they’re running for.”
Cher with a fan
Credit: @joebiden/Instagram
Vice President Biden posted a photo with Cher in front a step-and-repeat for the theater she performs her Las Vegas residency in on Nevada’s caucus day Saturday. Cher tweeted her support for Biden earlier this month.
This is the reason Amy Klobuchar chose green as her campaign color
Credit: Andrew Harnik/AP Photo
ICYMI, I wrote about how Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) picked green as her campaign color to pay tribute to her political idol. You can read my story here.
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