It’s an election year in Chicago, which usually means a rash of cliche political logos and blandly designed flyers, buttons, bumper stickers etc… When I say cliche I am referencing the fact that the majority of political logos have three elements: stars, stripes and either the color red or blue or both. That said, just because these particular elements are basic requirements, doesn’t mean that marketing efforts should look so templated and bland. It’s important to think of your political campaign as a brand that represents you and with it, you position and market yourself.

Judging from most political campaign logos out there, my guess is that they are done by someone who “dabbles” in design and/or knows how to use Photoshop. Campaign materials is something they do on the side. But what value do amateur materials bring to an overall campaign? The campaign brand is something that needs to have strategy and a marketing plan behind it; it’s not just a logo. The way you choose the people that do your design and branding should be viewed the same way you hire the rest of your campaign staff. You will likely hire an intelligent staff of people with experience and expertise in areas that help you build a strong and smart campaign that will get you elected. The same should be said for the people that create your brand, they should have experience and expertise in design and branding. That expertise will translate into a unique, smart and noticeable campaign that will help you win. Case it point…Obama.