McCain, Lesson Learned

If there is anyone that learned the branding lesson imparted by the Obama ’08 Campaign, it was John McCain. During the Presidential race there was simply nothing the McCain identity could do to help his chances, especially not Optima, not even at its boldest. Not long after the loss, McCain announced in November of 2008 that he would be running for re-election to his Senate seat in 2010 for the state of Arizona. Earlier this year, McCain presented a new identity for this particular campaign, created by Phoenix-based OVO. What a difference one lost Presidential race makes.

“We crafted the entire brand to assist visually in developing a meaningful conversation between Senator McCain and the people of Arizona,” stated OVO principal partner, Ryan Durant. “During the presidential campaign, many didn’t feel as though the large-scale format emphasized the ‘town hall’ approach to politics for which McCain is so well known. The information architecture and design of the new Web site and brand identity provide for him a ‘virtual town hall’ so-to-speak.”
— Press Release

Apart from a new President, the Obama ’08 Campaign brought with it a new standard for political identity and we have slowly seen this shift happen with better crafted web sites and campaigns, even if some are mere copycats. McCain’s Senate race identity is a perfect example of the new standard and manages to offer a unique personality and execution, even while using the default elements of stars, stripes and the RWB (red, white and blue) color palette. The new icon, dubbed the “McCain Flag” is a lovely abstraction of the flag that is both gentle and strong with its swift curves and thick stripes. The typography is also an excellent choice by having a somewhat traditional serif but feeling substantially contemporary by the serifs being strongly slabbed. Even the deeper interpretations of red and blue help make this a sophisticated identity.

While the identity and printed materials manage to build on the new expectations of political campaigns, the web site is also a notch above the usual. Designed and art directed by OVO, with architecture development and additional design by another Arizona agency, Forty, the site is easy to browse, energetic and welcoming. Overall, this is an unexpectedly refreshing identity and hopefully we will continue to see political identity mature and become an interesting challenge for designers.

Brendan’s comment is:

Wow! This is impressive. The blue feels a bit dark - that’s my only point I’d make, though it a minor minor quibble. I feel like blue and red work better together if one is lighter (particularly if the red is right on top of the blue).

On Mar.11.2010 at 07:48 AM

buruno’s comment is:

I’m a big fan of Optima, but that’s a very attractive slabbed type. Does anyone knows its name?
The hollowed stars are also a nice touch. A good update!

On Mar.11.2010 at 07:54 AM

Glass’s comment is:

Bacon!

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:01 AM

Dennis’s comment is:

The flag looks great. Until it is applied to the navy background (wordplay!) and it looks like a smiling mummy starting to unravel (the positive space in-between the stars makes the eyes).

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:02 AM

Mark’s comment is:

@dennis never mind a mummy… it’s a woman’s eyes peering out from behind a burkha!

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:07 AM

Luke S.’s comment is:

That looks pretty nice. Pretty nice indeed. Even though I voted against Obama, I just feel like McCain would be better suited to run a Kia dealership in Mongolia.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:11 AM

Luke S.’s comment is:

@Mark - Totally looks like that if you step back, just like the new missile defense logo looks like Obama’s 2012 campaign logo.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:16 AM

Anthony ’s comment is:

Seems typical, the colors have no personality; this is kind of what I’d expect. No real wow factor here.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:17 AM

Daniel Kent’s comment is:

Much better. The typography especially. I feel the bumper sticker is weak compared to the rest of the materials shown. The stars in the icon are a bit awkward but not terrible.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:20 AM

John McCollum’s comment is:

I like it quite a bit. And yes, it does look like bacon. And I think that will play well much of the audience.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:22 AM

Matt’s comment is:

Yawn. Bland and expected.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:26 AM

Jef’s comment is:

I liked it until I saw the flag on blue as well. Before seeing it on blue, I thought the star field should be blue (you know, like the real flag), but you can’t put it on blue, if the star field is blue.

I like the type. The type looks good on the website. The colors feel a little not right on the site though.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:34 AM

Joseph’s comment is:

Like most others, my only beef with it is the application of the red flag mark against the blue background. Overall it is a very nice refresh. I love the new type face, in particular.

If I had one issue with the new versus the old, I really liked the fact that the old identity did not adhere to the political identity status quo of red/white/blue. While the blue/yellow combination may not have been the most appealing color scheme, it was very different for a political identity, and I liked that about it. Having said that, I actually like the dark blue of the new identity.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:41 AM

laura’s comment is:

the c and the a need to be tighter

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:53 AM

Barclay D.’s comment is:

First, the type treatment is a vast improvement. That was easy to improve on.

Honestly, I would have liked to see some Arizona feel for a change. Give me some color! So sick of this ‘I’m a true American’ jargon. I do realize it’s probably hard to create such an icon symbol without copying the Obama ‘08 campaign. Try something new, stop copying, but maybe that’s politics.

The mark looks strange to me. Yes, it’s an improvement from the punk star, but to me it looks bottom heavy. It reminds me of a spoon or a big dipper or something. Maybe it’s just me, but I think they were on the right path.

Either way… it’s still the same old John McCain.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:03 AM

tj’s comment is:

My initial reaction was “improvement” but after looking at it for a bit there are 2 major gaffes:

1. Why 2 different typefaces in the horizontal application? Feels disjointed and poorly thought out, much like the horizontal Caribou Coffee logo from a few days ago. Makes 1 lockup feel like 3 disparate elements

2. After about 30 seconds all I can see is, at best, a veiled face shrouded in secrecy, or perhaps at worst for John McCain, an arab man covering up his face in a sandstorm.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:10 AM

Travis Ludwig’s comment is:

The negative space around the stars look really strange. Also, I’m finding it difficult to find a reasoning for the shape of the mark. I think the previous comments about it looking like bacon are spot on. Actually more like a bacon wrapped filet mignon.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:10 AM

William Thomas’s comment is:

I thought it was a ninja, waiting to pounce. But now I also see bacon and burqa!

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:16 AM

Marnie’s comment is:

Well, I liked it a lot until I read the bacon quips. Now I see bacon. Although… If McCain can figure out a way to get star shapes in bacon fat, that’d be some excellent collateral.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:22 AM

Rich Peniche, LD’s comment is:

I only liked the stationery. But… are we having him back?. What did we do wrong?. Jk!

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:34 AM

Nathan McKinney’s comment is:

While I like the icon, I think it falls completely flat on that heavy blue background. Red on blue is rarely if ever a good choice, and it seem odd to me that they would screw with the colors of the flag even more than they already do in the one color on white version of the logo. Blue stars on a field of red?????

Am I detecting an attempted hint of an eye in the wrap of the flag? Maybe I’m reading more into it than I’m supposed to. If I’m not, the eye thing only half works and looks a bit feminine.

While I think the icon overall is o-k… the identity doesn’t seem to maintain an even degree of quality. The website is nice, but that bumper sticker is U G L Y and lacks the finesse of the site.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:48 AM

pd’s comment is:

As a designer and Arizonan, I have always enjoyed working with the Arizona flag, which is graphically very strong (blue, red, yellow, one copper star, wide radial beams - http://www.50states.com/flag/azflag.htm) and lends itself well to a wide variety of compelling treatments. I think this would be much stronger if it integrated something from the state he represents. This look like another national campaign.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:51 AM

Mog’s comment is:

Once you see the bacon you can’t un-see it.

Like everybody else, I liked the icon until I saw it on navy blue. There’s not enough contrast then (rule of tincture much?) and it just stops looking at all like a US flag (navy blue stars?).

It’s still an improvement over the militaristic/Wal-Mart 2008 logo. *shudder*

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:08 AM

Andy’s comment is:

Does anybody else see the logo as a headscarf with eyes?

A headscarf worn by “some” people in a “certain” region.

Not to stir the pot, but since the U.S. Missile Command logo became a lightning rod for conspiracy theorists…

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:15 AM

stan’s comment is:

it’s certainly an improvement, but i personally didn’t mind the old logo tbh.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:33 AM

Kyle Hildebrant’s comment is:

Thanks for the review, Armin.

@Buruno

The type used (and slightly modified) is Stag and Stag Sans by Christian Schwartz. http://www.christianschwartz.com/stag.shtml Stag is used in the signature and Stag Sans is used for the different collateral applications. The “2010” was set in Stag Sans.

Any other direct questions I’d be happy to answer.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:34 AM

BWJ’s comment is:

The new identity is an improvement over the past and most political logos, but the implementation leave me wanting more.

The stickers really detract from the new logo by looking similar to past campaign stickers. I also think the website is too heavy with it’s use of the red and blue. It feels like the middle of the night for McCain, and the sun isn’t rising anytime soon.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:40 AM

Alex P.’s comment is:

It’s good to see Arizona get some love on up in herr!

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:43 AM

alex’s comment is:

I KNOW this is silly, but after looking at the flag illustration long enough (especially the example on the bumper sticker and business card with the blue background) it looks like a man wearing a large scarf…

there are clearly eyes and…idk, maybe it’s closer to a headscarf or a shawl, or in radical republican inflammation…a enemy desert warrior.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:57 AM

rynot’s comment is:

i’m normally a proponent for the positive affects wrapping anything in bacon can have. but in this case it’s sizzlean.
the horizontal system feels disjointed and clunky, and i don’t quite get whyt the back part of the bacon isn’t blue to push it back in space and allude more closely to our nations flag…maybe mccain is pushing for pork-bellied communism of some sort…is sort of ironic thats he’s fighting pork with pork. go gramps.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:58 AM

Kim Siever’s comment is:

I love how this looks McCain is unravelling a big roll of red tape. Big government at its finest. :)

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:02 AM

porkbelly’s comment is:

someone should redirect hits to his site here:
http://baconorbeercan.com/

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:13 AM

buruno’s comment is:

@Kyle

Thanks a ton! Good taste of y’all, this whole family is beautiful.

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:24 AM

RR Anderson’s comment is:

Mummy wrapped in bacon = John McCain

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:50 AM

debruehe’s comment is:

Yep, looks like bacon to me, too. But maybe this will help…. :D
I think the red on screen is too dark so that it makes it look like bacon, on the stickers it looks better.

Definitely a huge improvement but that wasn’t hard to achieve anyway.

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:54 AM

Devin Gonzales’s comment is:

I completely lose the stars in the bumper sticker. People aren’t looking for dark blue stars in political identities. I would have found a way to keep the stars white on the dark background. Could solve the problem.

On Mar.11.2010 at 11:58 AM

Jared Zimmerman’s comment is:

reminds me a bit of a roll of toilet tissue…

On Mar.11.2010 at 12:02 PM

Mike’s comment is:

This is terrible! Glass is absolutely right, it’s BACON! Pork is not something you want to associate with a politician. The ‘08 logo was clean, and I thought quite dignified. This is crap, I’m sorry.

On Mar.11.2010 at 12:13 PM

Marcy Shu’s comment is:

Very well resolved symbol.
Perfect choice for typography, though kerning between ‘C’ and ‘a’ could be tightened a bit.

I think the only thing lacking is the colors, they seem a bit dark and dull. Obama’s red and blue were far more vibrant and alive.

Congratulations to the design team

On Mar.11.2010 at 12:33 PM

rob hopkins’s comment is:

This is definitely a great new direction for McCain. I don’t care for the type too much but I like the icon quite a bit. I’ve done a number of politician identities and it’s quite difficult to continuously reinvent the stars and stripes in “RWB” - this is a great treatment. The only thing I think I’d like to change is making the back/inside (with the stars) the same dark blue as the type. I think it would relate closer to the American flag and tie the icon to the type a bit better.

Regardless, I still won’t vote for McCain!

On Mar.11.2010 at 12:54 PM

JuicyGoo’s comment is:

I liked the font until I saw the enlarged version. What’s with the squared off parts of the serifs on the inside of the M and n?? Terrible.

On Mar.11.2010 at 12:56 PM

Ken Peters’s comment is:

I don’t see anything in this identity that says “Arizona”. The Senator is running for reelection in AZ, not for national office, yet this identity focuses on the stars and stripes, and the typical red, white and blue.

As a resident of Arizona (and a McCain supporter through the years) I can tell you that one of the biggest criticisms of him here in the state is that he’s focused more on national politics at the expense of what is good for Arizona. This identity seems to reflect that, indeed, he is taking a broader, national view, rather than a state view.

All of the elements and colors are cliche. The symbol vaguely looks like eyes peering from behind a scarf or from within a hood. Take away the wavy horizontal stripes and the rest of the symbol looks like a stylized T-shirt with a star on it.

The typography is limp, and what’s happening with the “cC” is distracting. The original logo dealt with that issue more effectively. The dot on the lowercase “i” is also a distracting visual element because it’s the only round element in the logo and demands a lot of attention. The “2010” looks like an afterthought.

This is a hodge podge of cliche elements and mediocre typography. Nothing stands out as new or unique or different for a political brand, which means that it amounts to visual noise. It’s utterly forgettable. It’s total lack of any aesthetic qualities indicative of Arizona create a disconnect in meaning and message with state voters, and in that sense it fails miserably.

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:00 PM

Paul C’s comment is:

Ca kerning. Too loose.

Love the Stag Family and think this works all day.

But I do agree with the comment about this feeling like a national campaign instead of having a more local feel. Being from Phoenix, the state flag is indeed wonderful and could have served them well.

pbc

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:03 PM

John’s comment is:

Mmm… bacon…

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:04 PM

Anthony Hawkins’s comment is:

Huge improvement from his last identity. However, it just doesn’t compare to the way Obama was branded.

Obama really set the bar in terms of the way candidates need to brand themselves and although McCain’s new identity is better it is still cliche of typical campaign logos.

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:16 PM

scott montgomery’s comment is:

But why does it seem to formally say “unwinding” or “unravelling?” Is this intentional? Or is the flag “rolling up”? either way… odd…

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:33 PM

felix sockwell’s comment is:

According to OVO:
Branding clarifies who you are by managing communication messages as they intersect with actual brand offerings and experience. Branding creates a unique identity, confirming your credibility and engaging target audiences emotionally.

According to me:
A meaningless add-on word that tries to give designers justification for higher billings. Brand manager. Brand strategist. Brand designer. Brand brander.

It’s 2010 people. Can’t we come up with something new? I’ll say I’m a brandSorcerer® if you say you’re a BrandGenius®. Deal?

as per logo, its surely an upgrade on the white but gets lost on dark blue.

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:42 PM

nitin budhiraja’s comment is:

no one feels that the shape curve (an abstraction on the letter C) is a little unrefined? Agreed it is a leap over the previous identity, but the stars get lost on the inside and the flanking stars create uninteresting negative spaces. They could have been placed on the band outside. Moreover, the curve feels less like a flag or stripes. Two isn’t enough a number, maybe 3 or more would have helped in that respect, as of now it feels like a ribbon with stars on it that you can buy at say, a Party City store, and that cheapens it a bit for me.
Yes, improved. Not the best solution. Feels like the mark evolution stopped mid-way.

On Mar.11.2010 at 01:43 PM

rafe’s comment is:

I love the design of the stacked version - I think the image and type work well together, the balance is very nice. Not so much a fan of the horizontal version and less of the sticker - The background color and the red box rule overwhelms the design (and I swear the Ca combination could tighten a little). Overall nice job!

On Mar.11.2010 at 03:15 PM

stinkyboy’s comment is:

Looks like his comb over…

On Mar.11.2010 at 03:32 PM

michael scott’s comment is:

Gee Armin, you sound like a gitty schoolboy. You’re praising this logo so much that it seems like you want people to think that you’re not anti-McCain/Republican/conservatives.

That ‘flag’ thing doesn’t even look like a flag. Where’s the blue field if it’s a flag? And that typeface choice looks very 70s to me.

On Mar.11.2010 at 04:08 PM

Daniel’s comment is:

I echo many of the same sentiments here. It’s a good improvement, and brings him back up to date. The stacked lock-up on white is good, but the rest struggle. The choice of typeface for 2010 looks weak…

love the burqa comparison!

On Mar.11.2010 at 04:40 PM

Bill Dawson (XK9)’s comment is:

I’m sure McCain blames graphic design for his failed presidential campaign. That and Palin.

This is new packaging for the same old $#!+. An improvement to be sure; but considering one-star General Optima, an improvement wasn’t hard.

Agreed on bulging bacon and burqas. The bulges restrained by the white stripe is curious.

And McCain does not care to associate himself with the state that elected him. He considers of himself as a national leader more than an agent of the people of Arizona. Not surprising considering he’s been in Washington for 28 years; Another career politician complaining about the evils of Washington, while he’s been living off big government for three decades.

The mark really only works on white. So I’m glad they chosen dark blue as a background.

On Mar.11.2010 at 04:58 PM

qwertyale’s comment is:

someone rip the stars off

On Mar.11.2010 at 06:50 PM

monomatica’s comment is:

I like it. I’m not a fan of McCain in any shape or form, but I’m not going to rip apart the details of the design (although the burqa, bacon and comb over comments are funny.) Looking at it from a big picture view, I think the rebrand is a HUGE improvement and feels very modern and fresh. I love the darker blue and agree that it feels way more sophisticated. The question is, will it be enough to “mask” his hypocritical and flip flopping views to get him reelected?

On Mar.11.2010 at 07:52 PM

Shannon Adams’s comment is:

I’m pretty impressed by this as well. It’s good to see campaign identity go contemporary and not try to copy the Obama work. I agree with some of the comments about the red on blue but the mark itself is really strong. The subtle billowing of the stripes on the left is an important detail; it could have easily gone too strong with a straight vertical edge. I think it’s successful in evoking that “townhall” inclusive type of politics that he spoke about in the quote. Yeah, contemporary without being Obama’s. It’s nice.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:12 PM

JonSel’s comment is:

According to me:
A meaningless add-on word that tries to give designers justification for higher billings. Brand manager. Brand strategist. Brand designer. Brand brander.

Word.

On Mar.11.2010 at 08:39 PM

Zeusifer’s comment is:

My first impression was striped toothpaste, but bacon works as well.

On Mar.11.2010 at 09:37 PM

Travis Ludwig’s comment is:

Earlier on today I read the comments that the mark looked like bacon, and I agreed. I thought that if I could step away from it for a 12 hour stint and revisit it with a fresh perspective I could …

… bacon.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:19 PM

Tez’s comment is:

Sorry I don’t feel the love. I don’t see what a red double decker ‘dynamic’ ribbon with stars punched out of it has to do with anything let along an election. (and no it doesn’t say star spangled banner to me either’ really zeusifer’s comment rang home pretty well. Asn really serif typeface plus dark blue colour scheme says to me conservative conservative conservative…AKA don’t vote for me as I have no answers.

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:25 PM

Steve McFarland’s comment is:

You guys will appreciate that at least part of his operation is still using the identity drawn up before this, featuring none other than H&FJ’s Gotham – delicious!

https://secure.campaignsolutions.com/fojm/radioads/default.aspx?&initiativekey=IAQPERNJMS04

On Mar.11.2010 at 10:41 PM

David G’s comment is:

Its trying too hard. Political logos are sooooo last campaign. What a follower.
Honestly, It looks like he spent way too much of his wifes money. INMO the old McCain logo was much more McCain. This one shows weakness and insecurity. Actually it says nothing at all. Loose the stupid symbol and its a decent logo. Obama was one thing but McCain is entirely different.

On Mar.12.2010 at 01:22 AM

Andreas Lanjerud’s comment is:

The bacon works, it’s miles better than what they had (an egg would be too though). Don’t really like the website - it’s very obvious that they try hard to not make it look like they actually ripped Obamas.

On Mar.12.2010 at 02:34 AM

Alexanda’s comment is:

It’s kind of ironic that they would choose a typeface developed for one of the most liberal newspapers in Europe.

In terms of the flag I find the whole left edge very clumsy especially the negative space between the forms. From a European perspective what does the flag mean, what do the 3 stars and 2 stipes represent and is the overall shape a letter C?

It’s a vast improvement on the previous identity but Obama raised the benchmark which this identity failed to match yet alone better it.

On Mar.12.2010 at 03:26 AM

sam’s comment is:

I’m into the way the stars join, kinda like joining hands. Gives it that “community” feel they strive for!

On Mar.12.2010 at 04:37 AM

Jan’s comment is:

Just in case it hasn’t been mentioned yet.
The type is Stag (slab and sans) by Christian Schwartz.

On Mar.12.2010 at 04:57 AM

Anders’s comment is:

First thought: Bacon!

On Mar.12.2010 at 05:36 AM

yatesc’s comment is:

My first reaction: Why is John McCain using Washington DC’s flag in his identity?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Washington,_D.C.

On Mar.12.2010 at 07:46 AM

yatesc’s comment is:

Also: Strange that nobody has commented on the ‘tm’ in the logo. Awful!

On Mar.12.2010 at 07:46 AM

Carlo’s comment is:

This logo just reminds me how amazing it was that Obama succeeded with a logo that didn’t have one single star in it. On top of the Obama had to run against the image of being an “unAmerican black Muslim extremist”, and against a war hero! I wonder if he was the first modern-day candidate for President without stars in his logo?

On Mar.12.2010 at 09:09 AM

Emory’s comment is:

I keep wondering whether or not the flag is supposed to be a J turned on it’s side.

On Mar.12.2010 at 10:42 AM

Andrew’s comment is:

Wow. This logo has generated the best comments and insight in a while.

Mr. McCain is an interesting fellow who I feel is difficult to decipher.
In lieu of this, I think his new logo fits him well as it leaves us wondering what’s going on under that glistening white comb-over.

Best comments:
• Pork barrel unraveling into bacon or bacon winding into a pork barrel.
• Red tape

Q: My fellow Americans, (and world citizens) Does the irony get better than this?
A: Yes! -Thanks to yatesc:

• The D. C. flag

The D.C. flag connection is probably completely coincidental but oh so perfectly serendipidous -in a very bad, ironic way.

Thanks for the great post!

On Mar.12.2010 at 10:42 AM

jen’s comment is:

The McCain font is Stag Medium - a really lovely Christian Schwartz font that has a bunch of weights and a (sort of homely) sans-serif. I love Stag Bold, possibly more than a human should love a typeface.

On Mar.12.2010 at 11:20 AM

porkbelly’s comment is:

the j-on-it’s-side comment is an interesting one, which starts to unravel what the design process may have entailed to ‘obamanize’ mccain’s brand…the O is all about new dawm hope on the horizon, this j type element is all about wrapping your self in bacon, er, the flag and protecting american interests, the stars…

mmmmm…..bacon toothpaste

On Mar.12.2010 at 12:16 PM

Mongoose’s comment is:

Darn you all. Until I read the other comments, I didn’t see it.

Now I can’t unsee BacCain, the Other White Meat.

—Mongoose

On Mar.12.2010 at 01:28 PM

Brook’s comment is:

get your McBacon 2010 campaign flyer here: http://bit.ly/dtkKla

On Mar.12.2010 at 01:42 PM

Brook’s comment is:

wrong link. sorry. download your McBacon 2010 campaign flyer here: http://bit.ly/c6fyS8

On Mar.12.2010 at 01:44 PM

J. Woodward’s comment is:

Yeah, I can’t help but think Bacon.

“Bacon for McCain 2010”

“McCain 2010: Bringing the Economic Bacon back to America”

And it’s REAL bacon. None of that ‘Socialist’ Canadian back bacon that Obama has been passing off as the bacon. Americans love their bacon. It’s like apple pie. Pie, which is round, just like Obama’s logo. Food comes into ever American’s political decision.

Now I’m hungry for pie and bacon. Too bad in Canada we only have Back Bacon, and Gold Medals to eat. We ran out of humble pie at the end of February.

Sorry guys.

On Mar.12.2010 at 03:27 PM

EvaBabeDesigns’s comment is:

Nicely done! It’s clean, concise and patriotic!

On Mar.12.2010 at 03:42 PM

rolfsf’s comment is:

I can’t tell if the icon implies ‘wrapping himself in the flag’ or building a wall around himself, or maybe circling the wagons… I mean, it’s a nice mark, but it seems defensive, protective to me.

On Mar.12.2010 at 08:19 PM

Kamix’s comment is:

It reminds me of a fruit roll-up…

On Mar.12.2010 at 08:49 PM

Kathleen’s comment is:

The first thing I thought of when I saw that flag was comb-over. After reading the comments now I can’t stop thinking—bacon comb-over. Sigh.

On Mar.13.2010 at 02:43 PM

denise_kc’s comment is:

yes this is better than the old one .. but it takes more than being “better than the old” to be really good.

@tj - yes, the differnt typefaces in the horiz treatment are a real problem!

and @rolfsf - yeah for those opposed to McCain’s views (of which I am one), the image/idea in the logo of “wrapping himself in the flag” could become a real liability!

On Mar.13.2010 at 03:46 PM

bb_face’s comment is:

Overall ok, but I don’t like how the big C is visually floating higher than the other letters

On Mar.14.2010 at 04:36 PM

Nate’s comment is:

Yes waitress, I’ll have an Obama egg sunny-side up with a side of McCain bacon.

On Mar.15.2010 at 02:37 AM

colin_corcoran’s comment is:

The craft is executed well but, the contrast with the stars and stripes feels forced. The odd contrast becomes more apparent by the placement of the “TM” just that little delicate 2-letter trademark sign works as a focus point pulling the eyes towards it. The ribbon/flag/red-tape works well to pull you through both typographic pieces, reading McCain first then 2010 then back through the logo.

This mark has some brilliant subtleties, but for some reason the stars are not resolved to their fullest potential. At second glance I thought of Mumra from Thundercats… The maniac mummy whom always had flowing/unraveling mummy tape organically flowing around his body and face.

On Mar.15.2010 at 08:12 AM

Mr Miyagi’s comment is:

Obama raised the standard for future politicians and their campaign logo’s, but honestly there’s only so much you can do with red, white, & blue and add stars… Government usually has the worst logos. McCain’s new one is actually quite good. I like the new typeface.

On Mar.15.2010 at 02:27 PM

MSGDS’s comment is:

I like the new font, but there’s some kerning issues between “cCa”. The flag could have been much better.

On Mar.15.2010 at 05:38 PM

jbrodhead’s comment is:

Looks to me, like a hand grabbing the States…
Is it just me, or…?

On Mar.18.2010 at 01:04 PM

BJMRamage’s comment is:

I saw an eye but not the eye of a mummy/woman/etc.

I saw the eye of an eagle or something in the northwest Indian heritage.

On Mar.21.2010 at 06:52 PM

Mario’s comment is:

A day late and a dollar short.

On Mar.22.2010 at 09:37 AM

SCS3000’s comment is:

Not bad. Bacon is always good.

On Mar.22.2010 at 10:53 PM

Jenn’s comment is:

We’ve been seeing this logo on the road for several weeks now in Arizona, and every time we slow down and squint to figure out what it’s supposed to be.

We actually thought it was a woman in a Burka, and it seems many here do as well. Poor McCain. Did nobody vet this design???

On May.03.2010 at 12:32 PM

Mark Mark’s comment is:

I saw this for the first time over the weekend (MAY 01) as i was driving…

My first reaction was… who is that logo supposed to be…

I swerved over a few lanes to get a closer look…

What IS that, I thought… I mean it looks kinda creepy… evil… posessed…

Like demon eyes staring at you… I still was not sure…

Later in the day I stopped and looked at a sign closely…

Oh,Okay stars and stripes… I get it…

But driving down the road… all i see is

DEMONIC BACON, or ISLAMO FASCISTS FOR MCCAIN…

On May.03.2010 at 12:52 PM