Obama's O (not Oprah- or orgasm-related)

This might seem like a silly thing to comment upon, but I'm about to write a whole article about a single stylized letter. The O on the Obama '08 logo. Wow - lots of Os. Much is said of how we live in a soundbite culture but, even moreso, we live in a world that is formed by visual stimuli. Is it possible that something as mundane as a logo betters Obama's chance at the Oval Office?

First, though, let's take a look at Obama's logo. It is a simple O transformed into the stars and stripes. A plain of red and white stripes with a blue arch forming the top-half of the O. Just a simple little logo meant to catch your eye, but Obama's O is emblazoned on t-shirts, buttons and web banners. In many ways, it is the first impression people will get when they visit Obama's website or see an Obama event on TV. Watching Obama's announcement speech, it is one of 3 or 4 things people will see as it was centered on his podium. Surely such a logo was studiously designed.

Obama's central campaign message is that we can transform US politics with the 'Audacity of Hope'. An arching light blue over the stars and stripes is certainly quite a good representation of hope tranforming America. What could represent America better than red and white stripes (sorry Indonesia)? And what could represent the transformative politics of hope better than a soft blue arch? Every time someone looks at Obama's logo they will make a subconscious connection to his version of politics. Buttons, bumper stickers and video from campaign events all subconsciously reinforcing the audacity of hope to transform America.

OK, you say, he has a good logo - so what? Indeed, this whole article is a pointless musing on something that will have no tangible or observable effect on the presidential election; however, this will be the most contentious national election in more than a generation. It is the earliest campaign in memory, will be the most expensive campaign in history and is the first time in more than fifty years that no sitting president or vice-president is involved. Quite simply, an effective logo can't hurt. And, what's more, this logo isn't an accident. Such an effective device is indicative of a campaign that is well-organized and conscious of its message and role.

We can never really know if Obama's '08 logo will have any real effect on the campaign. Such a thing could never be measured or quantified. But we can tell an effective graphic when we see one, and Obama's O is pretty effective. It is aesthetically pleasing and communicates the essential message of Obama's campaign. If even the man's logo is so finely crafted, his policy platform should be something at which to marvel.