BY Armin

Two Logos for the Road to Recovery

ARRA and TIGER Logos, New

How the government spends its citizens hard-earned tax dollars has always been frustrating and unsatisfying, mostly because it’s only after the fact that one realizes what that money is being used for. With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — following the transparency mantra of the Obama administration — a brisk attempt is being made at continually disclaiming where, how and when those tax dollars are being used. Whether you approve of their use is another issue, of course. To make things even more evident to the public, two logos were unveiled yesterday, that will serve to brand all projects under the auspices of the ARRA.

Their design was coordinated by Chicago-based Mode — the same agency who contracted Sender to create the Obama ‘08 campaign logo — who this time turned to All-American designers Aaron Draplin in Portland, Oregon and Chris Glass in Dayton, Ohio. [Note to all designers: For your 2009 business plan, make sure you have a “Make Friends with Mode” item in it.] Also, at Mode’s web site you can see a nice picture and video of Obama presenting the logos.

Now to the logos. The ARRA emblem feels decidedly American, it might just be the stars and the blue, but it definitely has an American pride aura to it. The design is clean and simple and touches on three key aspects: America (of course), the environment, and the industry. The design of each element could probably be discussed ad nauseam and hundreds of alternative drawings could have been made, but as quick signifiers these work great. I’m not a fan of the rounded corners of the quadrants, but that’s just me. This logo probably looks kick-ass in all black too.

The logo for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) program may feel a little corny, with its tiger stripes. But, let’s face it, sometimes it’s too tempting to forego the obvious and this logo creates a very identifiable visual. The thing I love about it is the combination of dark gray (or is it black?) that could stand for the asphalt that millions of people drive on each day throughout the U.S. and the orange that is emblematic of all the workers that are regularly out there working the roads. The type choice for TIGER is odd though: Kabel (slightly modified).

First because, well, who in the world uses Kabel? But second, it’s designed by Rudolf Koch, a German typeface designer; and while there is nothing inherently wrong about that, as designers it’s important to acknowledge the context of certain typefaces and consider whether their origins are relevant. Wouldn’t a typeface designed by the most prolific American type designers Morris Fuller Benton or Frederic W. Goudy have been more appropriate? To the public it doesn’t matter and in the bigger picture it hardly makes a difference, but when you are able to add a little more meaning to a logo, why not?

Type origins aside, the real success of these two logos will only be defined by how positively pervasive they become. If we encounter them regularly, we will feel good knowing that our dollars are being put to use; if it takes years before we can spot them, they won’t really matter.

Thanks to Snowflake Seven for first tip.

DATE: Mar.04.2009CATEGORY: Government 85 COMMENTS

Comments › Jump to Most Recent

Ben’s comment is:

ARRA 1 - TIGER 0

On Mar.04.2009 at 07:05 AM

Jasper’s comment is:

The first association with the TIGER logo I had was that of car-wheel-brake-tracks. Which immediately made me wonder why there were so many tracks, only then realising it most likely resembles a tiger's markings.

The unifying circle on the other one does it for me.

On Mar.04.2009 at 07:53 AM

Lindsay’s comment is:

I think the Department of Transportation is a bit misleading, I'm not American so maybe I am benevolent to the shortening of DOT and TIGER. But, when I first saw the logo, I was thinking what is US DOT TIGER?

These logo's are tidy and well resolved (although DOT is looser than US), and very un-government-like. Actually I think the TIGER logo looks like what a Design School sports team logo would be(reminds me of the Cincinnati Bengals)

On Mar.04.2009 at 07:54 AM

Adam Spooner’s comment is:

The orange and black (dark gray) stripes also remind me of the construction ahead signs. I see those signs and know that, 1) the DOT (and therefore the government) knows that the road ahead isn't ideal and 2) that they're working to make it better. I'm sure they also conjure up feelings of frustration for those that pass through construction zones everyday and have to wait in idle traffic. That aside, I think it's a lovely design (though its beauty is lost in an all black print).

On Mar.04.2009 at 08:06 AM

Jesse’s comment is:

I like them. I think ARRA is a bit of a safe solution. Even if Tiger doesn't hit all of the right notes, it's a pretty un-government mark, which does carry some extra punch to it.

On Mar.04.2009 at 08:08 AM

Impossibly Stupid’s comment is:

The problem TIGER has is that it's an acronym unrelated to the entity, so the associations with actual tiger stripes are forced. If, for example, they had chosen Transportation Investment for a Mobile Economy (TIME), they could have based a logo on a clock face or some similar symbolism, but it would equally fall flat because the relationships with transportation are forced.

On Mar.04.2009 at 08:55 AM

Jonathan’s comment is:

ARRA - safe and simple. Something about the top half being joined with the bottom half is split bothers me, but I can't figure out why yet.... my real beef here is with that other THING next to it.

TIGER - I agree with Impossibly - the fact that they drew this tiger comparison based simply on the acronym, is really, well... just sad. Nothing about this logo says economic recovery, really poor work here. I also think the "DOT.COM" is confusing, it reads "dot dot com"

On Mar.04.2009 at 09:20 AM

JeanC’s comment is:

Love the TIGER!

On Mar.04.2009 at 09:22 AM

Jonathan’s comment is:

^ I meant DOT.GOV* you get the point

On Mar.04.2009 at 09:22 AM

jRod’s comment is:

the RECOVERY logo is wonderful and reminds me of governmental logos of the 50s and 60s. well done.

the TIGER logo is odd. i have to agree that the choice of Kabel was a strange one, but it makes me think that the designer simply built several versions with different typefaces and this is what the client chose... the not so hot one. happens all the time.

other than that, its a good logo, but it could be so much better.

On Mar.04.2009 at 09:48 AM

marnie’s comment is:

I like the recovery logo, although I will say that until I read the explanation I assumed it was America, AGRICULTURE (not environment), Industry. Even though I've used that exact same leaf from an istockphoto graphic in a job on the environment myself (see it floating above the hand there?).

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/nature/5786738-environmental-conservation-symbols-final.php?id=5786738

That TIGER logo, though: NO. Not least because I read it as us.tiger.gov which gets you precisely nothing if you type it into a search bar.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:02 AM

Samantha Armacost’s comment is:

I was basically going to say exactly what Adam Spooner said.

I think the striping is perfect due to the visual association with construction signs and, obviously, to that of the large feline. However the typeface strikes me as evoking some 70s feel, so not connotative of progress.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:02 AM

twoeightnine’s comment is:

@Adam Spooner - That's exactly what I was thinking.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:12 AM

Randy’s comment is:

If they really wanted to pursue the highway theme for the TIGER logo, why not set the type in Interstate?

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:45 AM

Char’s comment is:

I like the recovery logo. It's very institutional without having a crazy bald eagle on top with this look that brings you back to 1994. This is timeless.
NOTE: Ew to people confessing that they use stockphotos, hahaha.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:46 AM

thebruce’s comment is:

at the risk of sounding naive, I have always liked Kabel, but only in all caps. It would be nice to use an American designer, but that's pretty hardcore design nerdus.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:48 AM

heather van de mark’s comment is:

read the tiger as: us.tiger..gov
which makes no sense... i guess they're just unlikely that their acronym is dot.

saw the tiger stripes and road-esque, that orange being the safety/work orange on the road, and the pattern being a common road signal. so it's alright, not a lot of love, but it's fine.

diggin' (ha) the arra logo.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:52 AM

heather van de mark’s comment is:

@Randy, I like this idea. Or Highway Gothic or the new Clearview would be equally appropriate.

On Mar.04.2009 at 10:54 AM

denny’s comment is:

I think these work just fine.
I'm still reeling from the fact that these logos represent government programs and they were designed by GOOD DESIGNERS.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:08 AM

John McCollum’s comment is:

re: Tiger:

Hmm. Maybe it's just 'cause I live in Ohio, but I see the Cincinnati Bengals. Now THERE'S a group who could use some stimulus...

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:09 AM

Christopher Monnier’s comment is:

I like the Tiger logo better than the Recovery.gov one. The Recovery.gov looks too propagandistic to me (of course, it is propaganda), whereas the Tiger logo is more reserved and functional. Plus the orange/black stripes is reminiscent of construction signs, so it all works well together.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:29 AM

lyndi’s comment is:

really love the new recovery logo...i don't remember the government ever taking pride in the design...if they did it was sadly done and i have chosen to forget it. it is an all american feel with the colors, stars and gears and of course with a touch of the new green movement. i do agree armin, not digging the beveled corners...its making it too soft, the sharper edges would of been a nice balance with the overall rounded shape.

the tiger one at first glance makes me think of driving down the road and seeing the divider lines rushing past you...it does get right to the point but ive always had issues with orange and black together, just a personal thing. not a big halloween person.

overall i am proud that our government is taking pride in how they are presenting themselves to the public. its long overdue.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:31 AM

EMD’s comment is:

Our government once commissioned these, so there's a precedent for good design work within the often dull confines of federal design.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:43 AM

damondidit’s comment is:

the phrase "lipstick on a pig" still reverberating 'tween my ears.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:44 AM

Loren’s comment is:

ARRA - It's nothing new, but it's effective. I think for this kind of an organization, a surprising or overly creative (is that possible?) solution would be pushing it to much.

TIGER - Much less obvious of a design. While the type choice may be a little unfounded, I think its working very well with the stripes. Thank god they straightened the termials though, angled ones always bugged me, especially for a geometric sans serif. And for history... it has been used in some random places across corporate America (Monopoly?) All of that aside, I have a big problem with the name itself. It took me a while to figure out what "TIGER" was, and if i was supposed to go to usdot.tiger.dot.gov, tiger.gov, tiger.dot.gov or any combination.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:48 AM

Josh’s comment is:

These judgments for using american type veer ever so close to the Republicans argument that jobs and American in general is for Americans. It's not that I don't support the core idea, but settle down on the rampant patriotism.

I'm assuming, though I don't know since it was a collaboration that Draplin had a bigger share of the TIGER mark. He loves Futura (you know you do buddy) and he most likely would have used it, but the project probably needed a smidge more character that Futura can offer. No doubt Futura is classic, it was used heavily....almost to the sake of nausea during America's economic boom in the last century, and it's totally German.

The use of Kabel is partially for a break, but also is a throwback and complete and great dismissal of the all the horrible type usage we are seeing in these web 2.0 days.

Lets just be thankful its not Comic Sans or Arial moonlighting as Helvetica people.

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:49 AM

Matt’s comment is:

TIGER: First association like many others here is the Cincinnati Bengals, and they suck, not a good starting point. And the type, none of the angles match up, they are all different, maybe make them all the same...?

And the USdotTIGERdotGOV. is this the new way to do it? being unique is always good, but when the unique becomes confusing, maybe there is a reason it's done with periods and not spelled out words...

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:11 PM

Matt’s comment is:

it's not even a website so now I am totally confused with the DOT's...

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:13 PM

Oke Doke’s comment is:

I like the old one better…

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:19 PM

Armin’s comment is:

> but settle down on the rampant patriotism.

Josh, trust me, it has nothing to do with patriotism, and all to do with context and relevance.

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:22 PM

adam’s comment is:

DOT does not mean "dot" as in .com people, it means Department of Transportation. and they did not create the website dot.gov specifically for this program/logo application, it was already in existence.

anywasy, looking at the bold type and stripes of TIGER is sort of . . . disconcerting maybe? i cant focus on it properly. maybe im just weird.

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:24 PM

Carlo’s comment is:

The USDOTTIGERDOT(dot)GOV??
Poor department being unlucky enough to have the initials "DOT" which confuses spelling the URL which contains both "DOT" and (dot)

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:29 PM

Darrel’s comment is:

Anyone that has worked in .gov land knows that good graphic design is hard to come by. It's simply not an item that is invested in.

Given that, these are incredibly refreshing to see.

Both do their job much better than most .gov 'seals' which tend to be overly literal and overly detailed to the point of being visual clutter rather than an identifying mark.

While I agree DOT.GOV is a little odd, I assume the logo is used int he context of transportation and anyone in that arena knows what DOT stands for.

I'm not against the 'tiger' references. A tiger is a strong, aggressive animal. Hardly a bad connotation. After all, jungle cats have nothing to do with software, but Apple has done just fine making the comparisons.

And I'm unapologetically in favor of Kabel. Nice to see it show up again. ;o)

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:39 PM

Paul Riehle’s comment is:

wow actually making the stripes for TIGER, ballsy and quite stupid. Dot.gov is equality stupid.

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:39 PM

Darrel’s comment is:

(also, for the record, DOT is usually pronounced DeeOhTee)

On Mar.04.2009 at 12:40 PM

Cameron’s comment is:

I'm surprised by all the commenters saying they don't see the connection between the orange and black stripes and transportation. But perhaps they are not from North America, where orange-and-black-striped signs and markings are ubiquitous at road construction sites. I suppose the European equivalent would be red and white, but it would probably be hard to construct an appropriate acronym out of CANDY CANE.

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:09 PM

Amanda’s comment is:

I think the first logo is very successful, it is clean, attractive and easy to understand.

The second logo is very striking with its orange and black stripes but I find it more difficult to figure out what it represents. As someone unfamiliar with the U.S. Department of Transportation I read it as Dot, not D O T. Only after reading some of the comments here did it make more sense.

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:37 PM

birdman’s comment is:

Wow, count me as one of the folks who couldn't figure out the web address. I guess it's just supposed to be dot.gov, but since that site won't load for me at the moment I can't confirm. With the same font and color of type above and below TIGER, I thought maybe the entire name was the URL. I tried usdottigerdot.gov, usdottiger.gov (thinking maybe the "dot dot guv" was just a redundancy error), tigerdot.gov tiger.gov, then at last dot.gov.

For what it's worth, I read USDOT as "us dot," akin to Ohio's "oh dot" (ODOT) and Pennsylvania's "pen dot" (Penn DOT). An unfortunate department name when it comes to web addresses. :)

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:42 PM

BJN’s comment is:

The ARRA logo is dull, the web address within the logo is weak, and the shape reminds me of a mess kit plate with the ridges dividing one scoop of food from the others. Okay for a bread line I suppose:

The diagonal stripes are suggestive of construction signs in the TIGER logo. I'm betting that the typeface started out as Gotham Bold (looks like the USDOT and URL are Gotham) but that was vetoed as having too much in common with the Obama graphic style.

Could be worse considering how difficult it can be to produce anything relatively simple or clean for a government bureaucracy. The designs probably benefit by the need for speed to get these done.

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:44 PM

Sprout’s comment is:

Does it not bother anyone that the gears can not possibly function?

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:44 PM

birdman’s comment is:

OK, I just tried www.dot.gov (rather than just dot.gov) and the site loaded. In the bottom right is a small icon of the TIGER logo, and I see that "US DOT" is in orange. I think that makes it much clearer that the "DOT.GOV" underneath is meant to be read as a separate thought from the rest of the type. Isn't it funny how just that one little color change can improve communication?

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:45 PM

TheMaster’s comment is:

Hahaha. Sprout, good call. It doesn't matter one way or the other, but yeah. Why not make the gears a set-up that would work. That's funny.

I don't even understand the tiger thing. I mean, beyond the predictable, beyond the cliche, beyond the type choices. What are they attempting at accomplishing with this? Where will it be seen? To me the entire NEED for a logo for that program is strange. Honestly. I wish they'd just type it out, or stamp it. I don't trust that tiger!

On Mar.04.2009 at 01:59 PM

Andrew Klein’s comment is:

Tiger is odd - I can't decide how I feel about it, or how i'm supposed to feel.

ARRA is nice overall, I would have avoided putting the url in the logo itself. Does anyone else notice the two stars in the upper left quadrant create an odd notch of negative space?

On Mar.04.2009 at 02:14 PM

Josh’s comment is:

Sorry Armin. I don't mean to imply it in any sort of angry tone and though I enjoy the typefaces of both I'm not sure Goudy had much to bring to the table vs. Benton when referencing the final output. Just imagine if this was done in Copperplate Gothic, the hay day the board would have had with it.

As far as reading the mark...I guess I don't see what the issue is. Too many opinions, not enough experience?

Tiger reads as:

- Department
- Program
- Support Info (website in this case)

or in this example:

- Brand
- Product
- Support Info

Curses to that delicious, overprocessed Chunky soup for having the audacity to take over the hierarchy like that.

Though notably the web address should include the www as some sites actually require that (TIGER included) vs. others. Thats an IT guys realm, not mine to explain.

On Mar.04.2009 at 02:22 PM

felix sockwell’s comment is:

both are terrible. ITC Kabel is the second only to Optima as worst face ever created. I went to Draplin's site, it was pretty nice. Seems like a good firm. But this work stinks like a motherfucker. Sorry.

On Mar.04.2009 at 03:22 PM

Glenn Sakamoto’s comment is:

Nice Recovery. Grrr on the Tiger – that font really bites!

On Mar.04.2009 at 03:44 PM

Kirk’s comment is:

Dancing Queen

On Mar.04.2009 at 03:52 PM

Bruce’s comment is:

The ARRA mark would benefit from having RECOVERY.GOV in larger type. They could lose the last row of stars and increase the size of the URL. Other than that, I like it. As for the TIGER mark, the concept is better than the execution. They could have pulled off the concept with fewer stripes, making the type easier to read.

On Mar.04.2009 at 04:31 PM

Rico’s comment is:

I think we should all probably keep in mind that in the end, these are government entities. I'm guessing that the designers didn't get to flex their chops as would have liked. Can you say "committee"? Draplin's work is really strong and I'm thinking that some committee members ended up having an undue influence on the end product.

That said, maybe it's just me, but I saw the construction zone striping in the Tiger logo the first time I looked at it. I don't know why people are getting hung up on the meaning behind it. Makes perfect sense to me...

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:13 PM

Wally’s comment is:

You didn't really mean to say "disclaiming", did you?

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:35 PM

ChrisM70’s comment is:

The TIGER logo actually made me think of this, which is probably what they were wanting...

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:40 PM

ChrisM70’s comment is:

(sigh)

Why are attaching photos still so hit-and-miss in the 21st Century?

Here's the link...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/madmurphynz/2134273131/

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:41 PM

lyndi’s comment is:

HAHA LOL at kirk's dancing queen comment

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:41 PM

lyndi’s comment is:

i think if the colors represented more of an actual road block sign of the yellow and black it would make more sense...the cones i get are orange but never with any black in it? i get that a tiger is orange and black but isnt this brand supposed to rep. the government before the literal tiger?? doesnt the word say enough??

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:44 PM

Kirk’s comment is:

when a clever acronym backfires.

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:45 PM

Larry’s comment is:

Don't care for the TIGER...BUT! please note that he directional stripes can also stand for the reflective stripping used to designate the proper direction when approaching bridges.

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:47 PM

Kabel Lover’s comment is:

Why the hate for Kabel?

With the proliferation of geometric sans serifs today I find Kabel a welcome variation. Yes, it's kinda kitschy, but it has so much flair! I think it's a great choice, and am glad it will be used by the biggest client there is, the U.S. Government.

On Mar.04.2009 at 05:54 PM

Mark’s comment is:

nice logos.

when I see the Tiger logo I immediately think of the construction or caution stripes you see on sawhorses and such.

it's a clever association.

On Mar.04.2009 at 06:35 PM

kirk’s comment is:

the TIGER one just reminds me of a sports team.

a European football team or something.

On Mar.04.2009 at 08:14 PM

caren litherland’s comment is:

Agree with Armin about context and relevance; agree with the other poster who mentioned TFJ's Interstate as a viable alternative to...Kabel. Kabel! I still can't believe it.

Why the hate for Kabel? See previous remarks about context and relevance, for starters. Optima actually would have been an improvement (Zapf at least has an American presence and Optima is often used in public/institutional signage, at least in NYC) but the link to McCain probably would have been too fresh in people's minds.

Also, Kabel seems too stylized for this application (or, as someone else mentioned elsewhere, perhaps a tad cartoonish).

Both Draplin and Glass are solid designers. Yes, this has committee written all over it.

Props to the Obama administration for bringing real designers on board; props to Draplin and Glass for getting the gig.

On Mar.04.2009 at 09:19 PM

Panasit Ch’s comment is:

These look like first idea. They should develop it more (although they probably won't).

On Mar.04.2009 at 11:54 PM

J.B. Chaykowsky’s comment is:

Question:

Was anything in the Economic Stimulus package geared towards the arts. I skimmed through the PDF on the whitehouse.gov site but couldn't find anything specifically linked to how the design/art community is being helped by or could help the stimulus package.
Or is that under the purview of the NEA.

Any and all information would be helpful thanks!

On Mar.05.2009 at 02:17 PM

J.B. Chaykowsky’s comment is:

Nevermind found the information here:

http://www.arts.endow.gov/recovery/index.html

On Mar.05.2009 at 02:20 PM

Phil Belair’s comment is:

I was excited to see Obama unveil the ARRA logo on television.
I know the exposure was all about the program, but it also said something nationally about the importance of graphic design. I like the mark. It's a solid nod to the CCC days and full of symbolism that will be more meaningful with time. As for the Tiger logo... yes, the last time used Kabel was in the 80s and it was letraset for a t-shirt design for my dorm. I agree with Arim's comment about an American Typographer like Morris Fuller Benton.
(born in Milwaukee-yeah!!!)

On Mar.05.2009 at 07:15 PM

ben’s comment is:

There are no native tigers in America. So the use of the animal/acronym feels oddly removed from the very domestic work that this govt organization is going to be doing. Although the logo itself is fine and particularly fresh for a govt design, the "look and feel" seems entirely misplaced for the organization's purpose.

On Mar.06.2009 at 10:09 AM

Aggie’s comment is:

I'm surprised at the number of negative comments here. I think both of the marks are very good.

I'd like to see the critics produce something better using the same limitations and criteria, which were likely complicated and numerous, as these designers had.

About the use of Kabel in the Tiger logo, I think this is an irrelevant point. In fact, it's just an academic point that really only matters to other designers. But design isn't just for designers. It's for the public. And consumers don't care about font origin, in most cases, nor do they receive any additional communicative value from it.

And, if I'm not mistaken, Gotham is also used in the mark, and that is designed by Hoefler & Frere-Jones which is an American company based in New York.

I'm certain that the designers behind these marks spent a lot of time studying before making their typographic decisions. To achieve the visual affect desired, Kabel may have been the preferred choice for the word "TIGER." To dismiss it so easily is to belittle these designers' labor.

Who cares if tigers are native to the United States? What attributes a tiger symbolizes may have been in-line with the communication objectives of this organization. To say it's not an American animal and it doesn't make sense with an American organization is overly literal and too limiting.

To Loren's comment, you misread the URL. It doesn't say "dot dot gov" it says, "Dee Oh Tee dot gov."

dot.gov is the website for Department of Transportation. Perhaps this could have been made clearer, but still, it isn't wrong.

I think these two designers are very savvy. So many of these comments make them out to be hacks and that's unfair.

You know, in this marketing landscape which is overly saturated with branded messages, it's hard to make anything unique anymore without a bunch of griping.

I think both of these marks are excellent and the TIGER one is particularly gutsy.

On Mar.06.2009 at 02:44 PM

Kabel Lover’s comment is:

Bravo Aggie! I second that.

On Mar.06.2009 at 03:48 PM

David Hartman’s comment is:

Instead of referencing a functional, utilitarian vernacular similar to say - Massimo Vignelli's identity for the New York Subway system - these logos borrow from the consumer, pop culture vernacular of branding products and corporate institutions.

Doesn't anyone find this troubling since these programs are supposedly temporary policy initiatives designed to jumpstart the economy?

On Mar.07.2009 at 12:04 PM

Yves’s comment is:

As I wrote on my blog, these have been efficient symbols for over sixty years already...

"A few stars, wheat ears, and a cogwheel or two, and you covered patriotism, industry, and agriculture. Organise them into a circular shape, and it’s easy to make it as a sticker, a badge, or a medal."

http://www.zlok.net/blog/2009/03/08/when-an-idea-is-good/

On Mar.07.2009 at 08:43 PM

Babu’s comment is:

The Recovery logo reminds me of the 'O' in Obama's signature, rotated 90 deg CW

On Mar.07.2009 at 10:52 PM

callie’s comment is:

Our job should be called graphic communication. While the ARRA succeeds in communicating, it looks like a student project to me ~ obvious and boring. I would hope for something smarter. On the other hand, with the TIGER logo, I could almost forgive the corny solution if not for the misread message(us.tiger.gov rather than U.S.D.O.T.). That is a complete failure.

On Mar.08.2009 at 12:14 PM

Mongoose’s comment is:

The Recovery.gov: Nothing to complain about here but quibbles. It looks governmental, it looks simple, I do indeed like it.

As for the USDOT Tiger logo: Well, Kabel is there because you need a very thick-stroke font. Too thin and the effect of the road stripes is utterly lost; and the slanted stroke ends of the letters being able to keep most in angle with the tiger/road stripes makes Kabel a fairly logical choice. Maybe not the best one, but it seems sensible. Though that E. *shudder* Ugly.

All in all, good stuff.

--Mongoose

On Mar.08.2009 at 07:02 PM

erik spiekermann’s comment is:

Strange how nobody has mentioned the fact that these are both logos from the same government, serving a similar purpose. Yet there is no common style. Shouldn’t they be using the same typeface or colour scheme or outside shape or something to make them belong to the same family? Like a US.gov housestyle? That way, they would enforce each other's message instead of just being two unrelated pieces of graphic design, whatever their individual merit. Or am i being too German in always thinking in systems?

On Mar.09.2009 at 07:46 PM

Mary’s comment is:

Of all the things to do with a tiger-themed logo...

On Mar.10.2009 at 01:42 PM

Quality Vintage’s comment is:

Erik, welcome to America (kidding!). The U.S. Government style handbook has always been "Show no one discernible style". At least it seems that way.

Good work Draplin and Glass. For all of you who didn't get the call on this, it was for guys with beards only. : )

I can't even imagine what it was like to work for the government and get the "OK" on a design project, what with a committee of probably 50 people all having a different opinion. People saying shit like "It needs to POP more!", "More Dynamism needed!" I hope those guys still have their sanity.

Good work. Hope to see more of it. Lose the Kabel and it's all the way there.

On Mar.10.2009 at 06:40 PM

David Downing’s comment is:

Sorry if this has been stated, but I didn't have time to read all 75 comments!!!

I fell okay with both logos. They're not changing my life, and I have little complaint about either…

However, I have 1 issue with the "usdotTIGERdot.gov" logo. The "dot.gov" is redundant in relation to "usdot". It incorrectly reads "dot dot gov". At least go with "us.dotTIGERdot.gov" for consistency sake.

Sorry, that detail bugged me :)

On Mar.10.2009 at 09:06 PM

Tabby’s comment is:

David, http://www.dot.gov
That bottom line is the only part of the URL.

On Mar.10.2009 at 09:59 PM

David Hartman’s comment is:

Erik -

I agree with your comment.

Consistency is not the objective here. Arguably, these logos are designed to make all of this massive government spending palatable to the American public.

On Mar.11.2009 at 11:15 AM

Anonymous’s comment is:

The "recovery.gov" logo looks just like the sticker sets from the Obama campaign. I don't see it standing a huge test of time but that's fine. I'm sure it will firm up. It is kinda sad that the commercial stock graphics weren't modified a little.

The Tiger logo has to go. I understand the road crew look but does this logo pass the B&W vs color, postage stamp vs billboard test? Another poster pointed out, with current trends, I'm seeing "www.us.tiger..gov".

I said nothing new. I just wanted to get my two cents in.

On Mar.11.2009 at 10:22 PM

Shauna’s comment is:

The Recovery one looks nice, the circle looks good and I like the rounded corners.

The TIGER logo looks horrible to me, I can't help but think that they couldn't(be bothered to) think of anything nice like the recovery one so they just went with tiger stripes. Really don't like the font, maybe in a different font I'd like it more.

On Mar.17.2009 at 03:52 AM

Brett Ruiz’s comment is:

Here comes the totalitarianism.

For a god discussion of causes of depressions and whether or not massive Keynesian government work programs and planning work read:

Great Myths of the Great Depression

On Mar.18.2009 at 01:53 PM

sloane’s comment is:

I like the look of the Tiger logo a lot...not sure what it really communicates, but maybe it's easier on the eyes because it wasn't trying to mean so many things...

It's easy to criticize rather than to give better ideas (but I'm not a designer..) - but the stimulus logo..disappointing. Not horrible, but the gears: not interlocking. And manufacturing? Still an important part of our economy? Yes. A major area of growth (where we want to focus?) I don't think so...

A fair criticism I read was "This logo says: government, agriculture, industry, not: education, health care, energy."

Dr. Tantillo, who blogs from a branding perspective, published a post back in November about the difficulty--and importance--of Obama staying true to his brand.

I feel like this logo is at least slightly off track...