A friend asked me to create an arrow based avatar for Elizabeth Warren

[Dragonfli]

Now, let me preface this by saying, I abhor sterile corporate logos, always have, likely always will. I was perfectly happy as a Democrat with a party mascot (the donkey) and never felt the need to impose a corporate style logo as a replacement for a party mascot. Times change, corporations have been given life by the Frankensteins of our emerging plutocracy and so the circle D corporate logo was born and our beloved mascot replaced.

So my first thought was to sketch this, because it means something to me (I am no graphic artist, but even crappy artists that like to dabble take their scribbles seriously), the arrow is pointing forward down a road (that veers slightly left) towards a new day represented by a symbol of dawn, this is the type of symbol that difficult woman represents to me as an emerging leader in my party.


Now this is over-sized for an avatar on this site, so I re-sized it accordingly, but I made a couple others as I realize not everyone is into rich symbolism and Hills logo appeals to people so I made a couple of options responding to such realities. My friend and others can choose any or none as they like, or decide to form a consensus on one to show solidarity in support of a very difficult yet beloved individual.

[NYC_SKP]

1. I like it, as these things go, but it is still too much like hillary's.

Rigid in form, hard and straight lines, but far and away a better looking device than Hillary's.

I like that addition of the landscape, road, and sun. These make it less corporate and more organic and human.

Were I to be asked to create something from scratch, never minding the arrows and the Clinton thing, I'd look back to the typefaces used during the WPA.

For example, I like the "W" in this poster:

[Dragonfli]

2. We think along the same lines.

I love that poster, I have been thinking of searching the inter-tubes to find a place that sells full size authentic prints of that and other related posters of that era. Redo the place "retro sane". When the nieces and nephews come over they will either get a kick out of it or mistakenly believe I hung them "ironically" LOL.

[sabrina 1]

3. I like the one with the sun and greenery and the road. It's not as sterile as the corporate logos.

Nice work, maybe Warren will be able to use it someday.

[msongs]

4. take the top graphic, get rid of the H and use the W without an arrow, keep the sun n green...voila!

[DeSwiss]

5. How about a combination of the top and bottom?

K&R

[Dragonfli]

12. I like your idea, I think I will work on one if I have time today.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. ...

[Enthusiast]

9. I love that!

[merrily]

7. Not sure why anyone wants an imitation H logo for Warren.

Last edited Fri Apr 17, 2015, 10:23 AM - Edit history (2)

Warren was the original. Hillary is parroting Warren.

Giving Warren an imitation H logo looks as though Warren (1) resents Hillary and (2) is pale imitation of Hillary. Nothing represents Warren less.

I am sorry, Dragonfli. I know someone asked you, but I just can't comment on the looks of the logo. I think it would make a a bad representation of Warren.

Finally, the first impression of Hillary's logo, many members of DU's left were laughing. I don't know why that made anyone say, "Warren needs a take off on that mockable logo!"

I am not even sure why a human being needs a logo. Obama's logo reminded liberals of the Pepsi logo, and therefore big business and corporatism. Not the message he wanted to send, even if he had TPP on his mind. Hillary's logo loos as though she's continuing to head rightward. I am very sure that is not the message she intended to send.

Why does a human being need a logo, anyway? Corporations use logos for branding so you know those chips and those pretzels are all from Nabisco or whomever. Warren's face and name and her life are her brand.

In the old days, people worked with what represented the candidates, period. Buttons with a face or a name or something very connected to them, something that remind people of something great about them. For example, for JFK PT 109 as the background for a JFK campaign button would evoke his war service, his heroism and his sacrificing himself to save others. (Even before he ran, the Kennedys gave out PT 109 tie clips and cuff links to everyone. I once met a college classmate of RFK who wore his every day. Now, THAT was good branding.)

And then, they'd come up with a slogan, like "I like Ike." For a campaign button or, how about something like

Warren Works
For YOU!


Didn't put much thought into that. We can do much better, but that is the direction I would go in. Not up down, backwards forwards, left or right, but what Warren is going to do for voters. Going old school, with human branding vs. corporate branding is a message in itself, in my opinion.



Here is what no candidate wants, IMO.

In 2010, Kaine was on the Daily Show. Stewart said the right was looking very strong for the midterm. Then he asked Kaine how Democrats planned to stop them. Kaine took out some keys and shook them in front of Stewart's face and said, "Don't give 'em back the keys!"

Stewart looked at Kaine incredulously and said, "That's it? That's all you've got? That's how you're going to stop the Republicans?"

Kaine replied something like, Yes, they're car keys. Don't give them back the keys to government. They''ll only put it in reverse."

Now, given the reaction of Stewart, who is uber Dem and uber smart, you'd think they would have come up with something else for the 2010 election, wouldn't you? But no, "Don't give them back the keys." was it. And it was as big a fail as Stewart's reaction suggested it would be.

(When your slogan or your logo requires divination and/or explanation, it's a fail.)

But here's the other thing: when Stewart asked the question, he obviously meant policy--what are you going to offer Americans to convince them to vote for you? In reply, Kaine shook at him a gimmicky piece of junk of the get that gets handed out at conventions, with a lame slogan. The whole thing, even if you understood it, stood for nothing but "D.C. Republicans bad." While true, that is not enough for a Party to run on. Make a promise, other than the vague "Forward." No candidate is going to run on going backwards.

[Dragonfli]

11. I don't think you understand what I was trying to do at all

The text in the OP should have shown you that we do not disagree, I apologize for "whatever", not sure what.

I very clearly understand who is copying who, the latest expression of which is found in a reply to an OP right here in this group that attempted to praise the "great populist rhetoric of Hillary Clinton."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1277&pid=6362

[merrily]

14. You have nothing for which to apologize.

you asked for opinions among the choices and I could not choose any, for the reasons I stated.

I was not suggesting you did not know who was copying whom or that we disagree. I was simply explaining my reasons for my opinion of the logo. I knew doing what you did was not your idea.

As my prior post stated:

"I am sorry, Dragonfli. I know someone asked you, but I just can't comment on the looks of the logo."

[Dragonfli]

17. Now I do have something to apologize for

I read your post too quickly and incorrectly. I was a bit hypersensitive yesterday due to some stuff happening IRL.

The person that asked for it was more attempting to to annoy people that like the Hill marketing ploy rather emulate it and actually agrees with us, He is right that they will not like such an avatar, he also wanted to show that arrows do actually point in different directions and specifically requested the up or forward directional arrow if that helps to understand the motivation for the request.

[merrily]

18. Repeat, you have nothing for which to apologize

As my Reply 16 states, I should have begun by acknowledging your gracious and good work, rather than launching straight into my objections to the concept you were asked to produce. And I should have been clearer. It's on me, though not for exactly the reason you stated.

[KoKo]

8. I see Dragonfli's #1 and DeSwiss' #1 & 2

Not as an arrow but a female figure with the sun as her head and with her arms against the pillars on either side as she gazes to the future where there are rays of hope in the bright sunshine.

I could take it darker and say a female figure standing before Hillary's "H" Logo ready to either walk through or throw down the pillars with her outstretched arms to reach a bright future in the near distance.

but that's what I see...

On edit: for "hope and promise" I'd pick Drangonfli #1 with the extra sun rays. I like all three....not sure if others would see what I see and find it appealing though.

[Dragonfli]

10. Thank you for your input, I love your descriptions, some people don't get

That I was just trying to fulfill a request while trying to add something to the sterility of the original concept.
If it helps people to understand, the request was not to create a logo for Elizabeth from scratch, I agree with another poster that said logos should not be used as an identity for a politician, nor does the person that made the request actually.

It was more an effort to counter the newly popular Hill corporate brand as more of a tease to those using it while clarifying there are better representatives out there, one in particular whose initial is W and whose "arrow" would clearly point forward rather than appearing to quite blatantly IMO indicate a rightward shift, I mean come on, the damn thing is Republican red and no one drives off a cliff straight ahead when a road sign is clearly showing a right detour.

I was thinking of mixing it up as suggested above and will make one up as I liked the idea offered regarding the combination.

I thought I was pretty clear with the caveats in the OP but at least one poster mistakenly believes I am pushing a copycat corporate logo because I like the Hill thing or something, maybe I should have added a few more paragraphs.

At this point quite frankly I feel I should just stop doing requests, it's not like I studied to become a graphic artist and I am trying to sell my portfolio to get work. I just happen to know how to use a couple of programs and like to do things for people from time to time.

[KoKo]

13. I had no problem understanding your post...

Thought it a different perspective on Logo design and loved the discussion.

Why can't we wander off and do "Creative Thinking" anymore?

Tossing around ideas? I think we should.. and loved the proposals from you and DeSwiss about alternatives to that Harsh Corporate Looking Logo from Hillary Camp.

Hope and Dreams...without them who would we BE?

Sometimes we take things so seriously that we ignore what could be and even lose our Sense of Humor or Perspective on what we perceive as a"Battle Ground of Politics."

Manipulating that Logo was interesting. It deserved some introspective analysis, imho, to play with it as a Counter to that "thing" Hillary's Campaign paid for.

Thank you for posting it!

[merrily]

16. Dragonfli, I had no trouble understanding your OP.

Your OP was clear that you were fulfilling a request and hate corporate logs. My first reply to your OP expressly referenced that. I just thought the wrong request had been made of you and said why. I also responded to and built on your comment in your OP about hating corporate logos.

I understand that you were gracious enough to fill a request for someone else that was against your vision and, in that context, all your logos were lovely. I simply explained why I wasn't going to choose any one of them.

If you read my reply again, all my comments went to the request itself and nothing else. Given what you were asked, your work was great and that should have been the preface to my other remarks.

[RiverLover]

19. Thank Dragonfli!!