election:

Hey! Tag Savage here, Tumblr election correspondent and graphic designer by trade. I spent the last two weeks researching the visual and logistic aspects of the conventions, interviewing design consultants, chatting with locals, taking it all in. Here now: a guide to the logos, scenes, and set designs of both the DNC and RNC — and my grades for how the respective parties stack up. 

Logos:

Democrats

The logo for the Democratic National Convention is flawed in frank and obvious ways. At even a small distance its figures blur into a jammy smudge.

These figures, these silhouettes, why are they so precisely drawn? You can make out the thick-rimmed glasses on figure number two, you can see the flyaway hairs on number five. Number one looks to be Bill Nye, whose appearance here lends scientific credibility to the Obama campaign.

I suppose the idea is that the Democratic coalition is a diverse one, and this loopy level of detail makes that diversity fairly apparent without having to actually spell it out, or to reduce it to potentially offensive stereotypes. So, on a certain strategic level, it “works.” Also, the circle is kinda pretty.

But still: there’s no getting around the smudge. Nor the Pepsi-ness. Walking around the arena halls one couldn’t help but suspect that Pepsi sponsored this whole affair. Pepsi did not.

Logo Grade: B–

Read More

Tag’s feature was worth the wait! Read on to find out how a designer and political outsider grades the US political parties up on logo design, set design, and host cities at their Conventions.