Design in the 2008 Campaign
My friend Nina sent me this article yesterday on the design of the Obama campaign. I was a little annoyed because Newsweek beat me to it, but I’m going to write my observations here anyway specifically about the web site.
I’ve already written about how design = credibility. Here I’m going to go past that to write about a great example of how design can communicate in subtle ways to match and further communicate your brand values.
First, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, check out Obama’s web site.
Now this is no way an endorsement of his candidacy, and my friends know this (wink), but just take your time and look at the pixel perfection of just the welcome page that asks you to sign up. Soak it in. Notice the sparing use of the red, only found in the logo stripes and the call-to-action to sign up. Even the skip signup is beautiful– the button is suggested, rather than placed, with a partial outline and a background glow… use it to move on to the main page.
This site, truly moves me. The whole thing, if nothing else, is VERY different from any other campaign website I’ve ever seen in the past 8 years I’ve been paying attention. And what has Obama been telling people since the start of his campaign? He has successfully gotten his designers to communicate exactly that without spelling out: “here is something different.” The power of design at work right there boys and girls.
Continuing to examine the site, I find all kinds of goodness. The inspirational message on top and the image of Obama almost looking into the future seek to inspire the visitor just as his speeches do. The ethereal airbrushing and lighting in the background feels very warm and welcoming to me, unlike all the harsh lines and hard edges elsewhere.
And yet even with all of this difference, it still to me feels very American and patriotic– as much or more so than the others. How? A few things Obama has done here: first the logo. No candidate has ever done this before. Andrew Romano pointed out how George W Bush used ‘W’ on his bumper stickers, but this is beyond that into the realm of using a swoosh or an Apple icon instead of the company names. Now don’t think that this is a no brainer, because in a political campaign it isn’t. I’ve worked on a congressional campaign before, and even making the candidates first name pop more when they are not well known is very risky because the recognition of the last name is key on the ballot. Obviously with hundreds of millions and the media recognition Obama has received, I think anyone not living in a cave knows his name, but the logo and the change type on his signs and everywhere is pretty forward thinking.
More little things… take a look at the top right of the site and all of the dollar bill style textures, stars, and old style characters. The entire suite of treatments is reminiscent of the revered documents of our government like the Bill of Rights or the Declaration of Independence.
The typography on the site, namely all the gutters and borders between the text boxes, the line height, and the fonts, is thoroughly impressive. It’s very easy on the eyes and easy to read. There is nothing on this site that’s ‘in your face’ and loud. It’s all there for the taking, but the site is making you come to it, and not trying to push you. It’s encouraging exploration, which is another big risk in the age of big call-to-action buttons, bright colors, and pressure to ‘convert’ visitors to contributors.
The coup de grace… is the background image. You may not have noticed because it only comes through every now and then, and probably not at all on a broadband connection, but check this out.
Okay, wow? A seriously amazing artist was hired to create this image and the only time it’s ever seen is in between loading pages. This is the kind of detail that really separates the men from the boys in my opinion. More American symbolism juxtaposed with the Obama logo including ‘E Pluribus Unum’, an American Bald Eagle, stars, stripes, and an olive branch. Notice also how the gradation here is going up to white, suggesting sky, dawn, and sunlight… and by association: hope and renewal. This of course all echos the ‘new day in America’ promised by an Obama presidency. Technically speaking it’s also an impressive technique to use for a web site to build the site borders directly into the background image as it provides for a lot more flexibility in design.
In conclusion this site says to me:
1. Inspiration
2. Different
3. Trustworthy
4. Patriotic
I think we have a winner here. It hits on Obama’s messages without saying a word. This is definitely a great example of what web design is supposed to be, and I give lots of praise to the designers behind it. I have to give credit to Obama himself as well as he must have had at least some input into the process. In comparison, rumor has it that John Kerry and John Edwards quibbled about font use in their campaign and the New York Times writes about how their design was largely a mess. Obama is way ahead on that count and although he hasn’t won it all yet, I believe design has played a large role in his rise, and will continue to do so.