Alex Whitney’s campaign literature looks a little familiar.
I got this piece of campaign literature for Alex Whitney in the mail yesterday. The logo struck me, but I didn’t make a connection. Elizalou got the same piece of mail and put the pieces together: Alex Whitney’s logo looks just like the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo.
Two seconds of “research” got me to this Minnesota Monitor interview with Whitney [ed. note: written by Andy] where he is asked about the PBR logo. A snippet from the interview:
Why choose a campaign logo similar to the PBR logo?
AW: I chose the PBR logo because it’s both eye catching and thought provoking. People drive by it and think, “who’s this Alex Whitney? Does that sign look familiar? Does he know that it looks like PBR?” The sign says ‘patriotic-winner’ in an old fashioned way. The response has been great too, every time I go to someone’s door, they freak out because of the sign and they want to know who I am.
But ultimately, she can’t get with it.
You know, Alex Whitney, I could handle voting for a libertarian. I would like to vote for a gay man who supports a woman’s right to choose. But one thing I absolutely cannot vote for is a big design faux pas. It’s really too bad….
He may think it’s “familiar”, but in my book it whispers “fraud”. I don’t think that’s a way to get elected.
I’m still too stuck on the Whitney family name thing to have an opinion on his choice of branding.
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People are thinking way too hard about this. Do people think his logo choice is really that important? “Oooohhhh… Whitney will be an ineffective representative because of his LOGO CHOICE!!” Whatever. I’ll stick to the issues, thanks very much.
I can’t speak for Elizalou, but I’d venture to say it’s less about the logo and more about the decision-making process.
That said, based on the issues, I probably wouldn’t vote for him.
Exactly, Erica. While I may choose a bottle of wine based on its label, I’m not about to do the same with political candidates. Although there is something telling about this particular logo and Whitney’s process of choosing it. It seems so amateurish, not only in technical design but in philosophy as well. If you want me to notice you and relate to you on a young person to young person level then do something worthwhile to make me take notice. Don’t just copy a beer logo and hope that I’ll think of you as some sort of quirky fresh face.
I’m not impressed with the issues either. And the family name thing is slightly offputting as well.
I think it’s great. I want a candidate with a sense of humor. Plus it’s a pretty handsome logo. He’s got my vote.