The suspense is finally over. Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s pick as his running mate. The Democratic ticket officially has a vice president candidate. And of course, a new campaign logo. An in-house team designed the new logo which is an evolution of the Biden logo deployed for the primaries. The new Biden-Harris logo uses the typeface Decimal (Biden’s original logo used the typeface Brother 1816), developed for the campaign by type foundry Hoefler & Co. Decimal, inspired by the typography of vintage watches and clocks, feels simultaneously timeless and forward-looking. It does a good job projecting strength, honesty, dependability and accessibility. Our thoughts are somewhat mixed. On one side, the mark does present a strong sense of partnership—a unified front against the current administration. It does lack any really strong brand message which most would consider a missed opportunity. Perhaps the country wants or needs a straight-forward approach. Let’s see what is in store for the Democratic ticket with critical messaging, advertising and social media. Admittedly, most of our NYC fingers are crossed.
Author: PaulK
Not your average beer
New brand identity for southwest Michigan-based farmstead brewery, River Saint Joe. Design system provides flexibility for a wide range of applications. From packaging to signage, we just love this robust and appealing work. Design by Studio MPLS. Cheers. 🍺🍺🍺
Major rebrand to reflect future vision and growth
New identity for Regent’s Place, a mixed use business, retail and residential quarter (from 2010) on the north side of Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. The new symbol represents the three districts — the Knowledge Quarter, Camden and the West End. The new identity, designed by London-base DixonBaxi, looks to capture the area’s future of housing with green space, a deeply rooted sense of community and forward-thinking, sustainable architecture. This contrasts greatly with Regent’s Place’s previous cold corporate identity. The new word mark deploys Bw Gradual for a more elegant and organic feel. The new system brings a new contemporary point-of-view reflecting the brands creative and green ethos. Animation along with reclaimed wood signage, bamboo business cards and soy-based community printing are featured to support the new approach. The entire effort is a huge step forward advancing a more progressive image for this important London neighborhood. We’re sure that it will be embraced by many businesses and residents with open arms. We salute the smart, creative and large scale effort…
Symbol only + flat logo design now trending
Toyota joins other major car brands by moving to flat logo design. More significantly, it is also removing its word mark from its primary brand identity. The brand refresh by agency The&Partnership for Toyota Europe exclusively, seeks to address digital use where simplified or flat design provides better readability and clarity. A new custom typeface called Toyota Type was also introduced along with a new monochrome color palette featuring a range of grays and an accent red. The new logo design and brand identity system will appear first in Europe with all vehicles still featuring the current logo. Whether the identity will be rolled out globally has not been announced. Certainly, a respectable refresh. We’re curious to see whether the global brand embraces the new European approach.
Campaign advertising: testimonials work in this social media world
It’s Okay to Change Your Mind, is an effective campaign spot from another anti-Trump Republican group, Republican Voters Against Trump. Real Republicans from all walks of life give their take on why Trump was a mistake for them and why they plan to vote for Biden. The goal is obviously to chisel away at the president’s base. Will it resonate with its target audience or merely brushed aside as fake news? Time will certainly tell, but the impact as advertising is real and believable.
Live stream moves into main stream fashion marketing
Shot during a twelve-hour live stream in July 2020, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele revealed what lies behind the making of a (well-financed) fashion ad. Throughout the course of one day, the campaign features the Gucci design team as models wearing pieces from the Epilogue collection. Two Roman locations, Palazzo Sacchetti and graffiti-covered Campo Boario are add to the eclectic, colorful vintage inspired extravaganza. Shot by Alec Soth and filmed by directors Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo. Gucci continues to lead the top tier of fashion brands in creative and innovative use of social media channels. Their growth since Michele took over creative duties is definitive proof of a successful luxury brand today. Bellissimo!
Simplifying logo + icons for digital applications
Software manufacturer Adobe introduces a brand identity refresh including icons for many of its applications. Like many brands, Adobe is moving to a simpler approach with an evolved color palette. The primary logo has changed to one-color red logo with the color shifted to a slightly warmer shade. This is the first logo change since 1993. Otherwise, the Creative Cloud logo moves from its current red and white design to a white emblem on a rainbow background. The Photoshop and Lightroom logos have evolve to a borderless rounded corner icon with lighter text. Photoshop Camera application will use three letters, adding an uppercase C to the Ps of the Photoshop logo. Nothing too creative or even noteworthy here, just an evolution in line with so many brands with large online users or customers. All sensible choices…
Wise identity refresh
Travel site Tripadvisor is 20 years old and had decided to rebrand. The well-recognized owl symbol has been refreshed with simpler rounder lines. A new custom typeface (Trip Sans), set of icons and refreshed color palette (‘TripGreen’, orchid, salmon, rose, sand, moss, pine and mustard) adds to the more contemporary identity. Another subtle changes is the company is moving from TripAdvisor to Tripadvisor. The company says users recognize and pronounce the brand as a single word after twenty years of business. Mother Design New York led the identity refresh. We applaud the entire effort. Bold, clear and fresh, the brand is wisely positioned for the return of travel. Bon voyage!
Humor can help
Pizza pyramid
Hard-hitting wins in anti-Trump advertising
Mourning in America, another hard-hitting ad by the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans, leads most 2020 campaign advertising as most memorable. A remake of Reagan’s 1984 ad in reverse that succeeded in getting under Trump’s skin, prompting a presidential rampage on Twitter. Dems can take a few lessons from these guys. Catch it on social media or in a battleground state near you…
