[BrosBuilding]

For the past 7 years I've actually ran a successful hosting and design company. I re-evaluated my goals in life over the last year and decided that I wanted to spend more time with my family (brother and father) and joined in a business with them (that had been already running).

So, one thing that is very important in deciding logos, banners, and company identification is presentation of the self. Often people will suggest color coordinations (blue and yellow represent security and caution: many hosting companies use these colors together).

I found this little tid-bit on my computer the other day, hope you guys enjoy evaluating post election logos.

If this information interest you folks, I can keep writing 'blogs' about what I learned over the past few years.

 

[BrosBuilding]

I also wanted to say that this is not a political thread, its an evaluation of the designs and how applying the techniques can help you company portray, well what you want to be portrayed as.

 

[sawdusted]

I ifnd the subliminal influence very interesting,how do they figure this out? I'd be interested in hearing more.
Dan

 

[Grumpy]

I like subliminals and do agree color is highly suggestive. I think that the rest was over thought.

As far as text size and fonts go... This is where I disagree. As far as flag agressiveness meaning military, this is where I disagree. This was obviously a partial "study" done by a Bush supporter. Because it is of a political nature and very partial to bush it is totally invalid in my opinion.

 

[BrosBuilding]

There are many studies that show how the color and/or design can be suggestive in its significance. If you are interested in finding out about color studies, simply do a google search for color studies and their meaning.

In regard to font, flag, etc. This study was actually created by a media company that was advertising to the political arena in general. Maybe they picked the positive features of the Bush stuff because he won, and by him winning and them giving him "props" they would pull in more political clients for the future media campaigns.

Although, a little to much in detail, I believe font, spacing, color all have very influencial characters that make your company presence. This is a sample design that I felt would get persons thinking about their logos and design presence a bit more.

I personally believe Kerry was going for those attributes described in portions of his logo, the wavy lines and italic fonts suggest an openess and flare to the feminin. (spelling, sigh) Take what you want from this example - just remember every detail does have significance.

 

[Grumpy]

As I said the color I will agree with, infact I did alot of research into the effects of color when I choose my company colors.

I believe the influence of font and spacing isn't a subconscious one. I belive some fonts, spacing, and general design of the letters will have an effect but primarily based on how well they are noticed.

For example when building a website, or even a flyer, your call to action phrases need to stand out, usually in larger bolder font than the rest of the text. That's marketing, not subliminal messaging.

 

[Mike Finley]

I don't know if I would ever mention the words subliminal with design. God the late nights I spent drinking and talking into the wee hours back when I was in advertising school in the 80s about stuff like that!

However there is no doubt that the DESIGN of the two logos is different and like all design it evokes a feeling in anybody that looks at it, no matter how sophisticated or unsophisticated the viewer is.

The Bush logo is way stronger. The use of the bold san serif type face with the slant to the right shows power, movement and stability. Even the flag is tilted and in motion as if moving in the wind. It is very graphic and a powerful icon like image. The Kerry one is weak, the flag image looks more as an insult to the flag, the serif type is more sophisticated in looks and feeling.

Face it Karl Rove will go down in history as the most influential and most successful campaign mastermind in this century. Bush's logo should be expected to be a powerful piece of everything that helped win the election.

 

[Grumpy]

The Bush logo is way stronger. The use of the bold san serif type face with the slant to the right shows power, movement and stability.

See maybe to someone who once "read" in a book somewhere that this is what it's supposed to mean but to me I look at one and I say to myself "that one looks nicer". I dont say to myself "Ohhh he's powerful!"

I just don't see the connection, and I'm not trying to be insulting but I have a feeling that you guys are reciting what you have once read in a book. I'm not an expert but maybe that's why i am able to see outside of the box on this one.

I just don't see the connection with the tilt of the flag and type of the font meaning anything other than creativity on the part of the artist.

 

[Nathan]

This sign was used in the last election

I didn't even know her name for the longest time because I couldn't read the sign when I drove by. Much less what she was running for.

By the way... she lost.

 

[Mike Finley]

Grumpy you are doing no more than we are. Saying it is powerful or as you say 'nicer' is basically the same principal just different adjectives. The basic premise is the same, you are looking at 2 logos and seeing something that is allowing you to judge one against the other and choose one as 'nicer' then the other. No matter how you want to look at it if you are able to look at two logos and differentiate one diffrently then the other then that just proves that the design of a logo, the color the fonts the white space the images all add up to something. Having more formal education about design just allows somebody to interepret what 'nicer' means. The average person may look at something as 'nicer' while the expert sees the 'nicer' as more this or that, but the bottom line is there is something in the design and something in all of us that reacts to it in a certain way. People react even if they don't know exactly why they are reacting.

 

[Grumpy]

OPk mike you might be right about "same differences" however that I can not agree with that .gif that Bro posted defining how a flag tilted in a various direction dictates power and spacing between letters dictates feminism.

See that's the thing, when I say nicer... what I mean is exhibit A looks nicer than Exhibit B, meaning Exhibit A grabs my attention more. I wouldn't go so far as to say one looks more "powerful" than the other. I wouldn't say one looks more militaristic than the other. I wouldn't say big bold letters indicate steadfastness and integrity... these (powerful, militaristic, steadfastness, integrity) are things that simply can not be determined by font type and size IMO.

 

[Mike Finley]

LOL, you are funny man! Everybody is saying the same thing including yourself we are all just using different adjectives and maybe some of us are peeling the onion one layer deeper or two, but one person saying one design is less feminine and another person saying the same design is more militaristic is the same thing to me. Those are basically synonyms in my book when it comes to describing design.

I wouldn't say big bold letters indicate steadfastness and integrity... these (powerful, militaristic, steadfastness, integrity) are things that simply can not be determined by font type and size IMO.

Saying bold letters indicates a specific trait maybe hard to justify as you said, but it is the combination of everything that leans a design one way or another. If you can understand colors and their ability to "paint" a design a certain way then you should easily understand that you are just one level away from taking it further to understand how fonts and white space do the same thing. You are already there, you just don't realize it yet. You look at both candidates campaign logos and even if you don't take it to the same degree as some of us do you understand that they are conveying different feelings so you are already there.

I'm betting over some more time you will find some examples in your daily life that will suddenly bring you back to all this and suddenly you will see it all more clearly.

It takes time. Almost all guys look at a women's bare breasts and get turned on. Some guys look at the curve of a women's leg and get turned on, others don't see it, some guys look at the curve of a women's neck and get turned on, others don't see it. That is the corelation to the subtleties of design. Some things are blatant to lots of people other things are more subtle. Are they real or not, yes they are real, but some of us aren't tuned into to them yet. The same can be said for the palette and wine. The first time somebody drinks a $3.00 glass of red wine and a $300 glass of red wine they can taste a difference, but they can't tell you what it is or tell you which is better. 10 years of wine drinking and the differences between the $3.00 glass and the $300 glass scream out to you.

 

[Teetorbilt]

Grumpy, you need to take some psych. classes. The brain reacts to colors, sights and sound.
Were you totally analytical when you bought your last car, home, tool?

 

[Grumpy]

Teetor i stated clearly in two posts I agree that color effects human emotion and decisions. Was I totally analytical? Yes. Last car was bought for three reasons but all of which can be summed into practicality. It was within my budget. It suited my purposes of transporting me and my equipment, and it was white which will look nice with blue and red elttering. Last set of tools I bought I bought because they were the cheapest and I don't use 'em too often. My condominium I bought strictly as a investment. I choose what was within my bidget and had the most chance to appreciate.

Mike while I do agree that designs can be built for an intended target audience based on font size, shape etc... I don't believe font types, sizes or shapes have an underlying "meaning" to them as the gif in the original post suggests. Nobody can convince me otherwise even if you were to quote the psych books it's written in.

 

[Grumpy]

.. oh and the condo was very close to my office at the time. Now it is my office, but not for long. The ink is wet on the lease and I move in either 1st or 15th.

 

[Mike Finley]

Mike while I do agree that designs can be built for an intended target audience based on font size, shape etc... I don't believe font types, sizes or shapes have an underlying "meaning" to them as the gif in the original post suggests. Nobody can convince me otherwise even if you were to quote the psych books it's written in.

I don't know what to tell ya, because you say you don't but you have also said that you do. If you can look at two logos and see one as being 'nicer', 'prettier', 'easier to read' whatever you want to say, you are seeing and saying that "font types, sizes or shapes have underlying meanings" and you are interpreting them whether you realize it or not. I don't know what else to tell you because you are saying it is true in one sentence and then saying it isn't in another.

Also, this stuff isn't in psych books, it is in advertising and marketing books. There were all kinds of very scientific, quantifieable and measurable tests done in the late 60s and early 70s on the power of advertising and design. David Ogilvy an ad guru back in the 60s really brought advertising and design out of the artistic unmeasureable touchy feely realm and into the realm of quantifieable measureable results through the use of focus groups and scientific research. It is amazingly interesting if you are interested in it or snoringly boring if you aren't.

You already made the first step, you believe in the color theories. There are people who feel the same way about color theories as you do about design.

It is all very, very interesting to me regardless. I love the ground breaking ads from the 60s such as the Volkswagon Beetle ad that ran full page with a tiny picture of the beetle in the middle of the page with just the words "think small" written really small under it. That one ad and just those 2 words were all it took to create a niche market for a car that was laughed at back then but has since gone on to become the most mass produced and longest produced car in the world. It was only a couple of years ago that the last beetle plant in Mexico was finally shut down. Interesting stuff.

 

[Grumpy]

Nobody can convince me otherwise even if you were to quote the psych books it's written in.

Please see above quote.

 

[PipeGuy]

The earth, around which the sun revolves, is flat and nobody can convince me otherwise even if you were to quote the science books it's written in. :cheesygri

You go Grumpy :Thumbs: