Comparing and Contrasting

About a month ago, the Democratic National Party redesigned their old logo to a new logo that’s supposed to be more inclusive and more modern. While I do agree with the modern part, it is definitely not inclusive, nor does it speak to what the Democratic Party is about.

Taken from the Democratic National Party's Facebook page

The old logo was patriotic and familiar, albeit antiquated. This new logo does not say any of that. It's a circle, with a "D" in it. I suppose the party was trying to design a logo like Facebook's so they could try to get younger voters to the polls. But by catering to that specific age group, they’ve excluded anyone over the age of 25, which is the vast majority of their party. People in their 70’s who have been voting for half a century certainly do not relate to the new logo.

The Old logo

Taken from the Democratic National Party's facebook fan page

Besides that, it’s just a bad logo. Logos are supposed to be recognizable and memorable. If I saw the letter D with a circle around it, I certainly wouldn’t think “Democratic National Party”. It looks like a logo for Target or a kid’s TV show, not an old, established, political party. The D in the circle does not speak to their values or their specific party like the old one did. This new logo says that it's a modern, passing trend that will eventually be obsolete once the fad passes, while the old one said that they were an established patriotic organization that's committed to doing what they think is best for the country.

The most recognized symbol of the Democratic National Party

I suppose the logo is supposed to give a nod towards President Obama’s extremely successful one, especially with their new slogan “Change that matters”, but Obama’s was a bit more complex than a letter in a circle. Besides, it also points to how short-lived this logo will be. If there’s such an Obama-heavy tone, in 6 (or 2) years it will no longer be relevant and will no longer speak for an entire party but for a past president. This is obviously a logo that is supposed to be temporary.

I do like that the Democrats are trying to brand their party. The past few logos haven't been recognizable and the donkey was by far the most recognizable out of all of them. But the antiquated donkey needed to go, but maybe a stylized, sleek, modern-looking donkey would’ve been better. This new design does not scream patriotic like the old one did.