Opinion BY Armin

Gazelephants in the Wild

Launched earlier this month with a somewhat subdued splash, the RightNetwork is a new media company dedicated to the views of, well, The Right. The Republicans. The GOP. Presenting a “right-minded perspective that includes an entire spectrum of opinion from thoughtful and reserved to bold and brash” through original programming. It features Kelsey Grammer, aka Frasier Crane, as its spokesperson. Its content is available online and theoretically on TV, available on demand at relatively unpopular cable services like Verizon FiOS TV, Sky Angel, and Blue Ridge. And competing against other TV animals like NBC’s peacock, the RightNetwork is introducing the — wait for it — Gazelephant. “We wondered what would happen,” blogged Frasier, “if we combined the power of the largest land mammal on earth [and mascot of the Republican Party] with the agile, fast as all get-out, Gazelle.” Wonder no more readers.

The Gazelephant animated.

To be fair, the resulting drawing and idea is not bad. That leaping pachyderm actually looks agile and massive at the same time, and it even looks like a cute puppy running to get a ball. The problem is the name, it just makes it sound stupid and immature. I would have given it an actual name, like Larry or something, although Frasier warns that “We?re not sure if the Gazelephant is a guy or a girl.”

Kelsey Grammer introduces the RightNetwork. “We are going to give Keith Olbermann a case of the Mondays. Send that man a fruit basket!”

The RightNetwork has a logo too, not just the Gazelephant, but it also uses elephants as its inspiration. Or at least I think it does, with the leg of the “R” looking like the trunk of an elephant. Maybe I’m just imagining things. The icon is not bad either, it’s a simple, strong rendition of an “R” and I’m a sucker for things in a stroked circle. The typography is pretty boring and choosing an older sans serif like Avenir makes it look too 1970s; a more contemporary geometric typeface would have been more appropriate. The color palette does feel contemporary and striking. All in all, not a bad design, but who’s watching?

Thanks to Carlos Montalvan for the tip.

Update: The Gazelephant was designed by Philadelphia-based Red Tettemer. Thanks to Jon Newman for that tip.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners