{"id":17933,"date":"2016-10-17T11:04:14","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T11:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zilliondesigns.com\/blog\/?p=17933"},"modified":"2026-03-19T09:48:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T09:48:48","slug":"personal-branding-republican-logos-goofups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zilliondesigns.com\/blog\/personal-branding-republican-logos-goofups\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Branding Goof Ups! 10 Republican Logos That Didn\u2019t Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does your logo affect your personal branding as a presidential nominee?<\/p>\n

Sure it does! While you may think that propaganda will score you points, you\u2019re wrong if you completely rely on it. Demonizing your competitor and glorifying yourself is a useful technique but when you\u2019re building a personal brand you must get a \u201cgood looking\u201d face because hay hair isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

But no matter how much we graphic designers stress on making a winning logo, there are always some goof ups that make candidates lose the race. At that time, you say either of these two things:<\/p>\n

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  1. \u201cCouldn\u2019t you get an awesome logo from a professional<\/a> instead of DIY-ing?\u201d<\/li>\n
  2. \u201cThere you go! Another brand design failure of the year. Time to scrutinize.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So it\u2019s vital to make a logo design that is attractive, memorable and triumphant. Nevertheless, some candidates just don\u2019t get this and they face their defeat. These republican nominees could have done a better job but here is why they couldn\u2019t outrun Trump in 2016 election.<\/p>\n

    Mike Huckabee<\/h2>\n

    <\/center>You know this logo design reminds me of an illustration in a children\u2019s book only because the five-point yellow stars are too babyish. What if they weren\u2019t there? I wouldn\u2019t mind that. But then the blue and red stripes could be sued by the Bank of America.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not important to replicate the American flag in your logo. You can take some elements but at least you should know how to make a convincing composition. There\u2019s just too much going on over here; and although the typeface is as simple as Helvetica, the \u201cHuckabee\u201d is too heavy to balance on those thin lines underneath. And mind you, since his logo didn\u2019t have a strong base, his personal branding also suffered.<\/p>\n

    Government Logos<\/a> Judicial Election Campaign Logos<\/a> Senate Logos<\/a><\/p>\n

    Moreover, Huckabee\u2019s logo looks slightly off-balance since all the gravity is on one side of the design. As a candidate, you need to show people you know how to maintain equilibrium. This is not happening in his logo at least. I\u2019m just not getting the feeling of cohesiveness in this graphic.<\/p>\n

    Oh, and by the way when Huckabee accompanies his logo with the slogan \u201cFrom hope to Higher Ground\u201d \u2013 I see those stripes pointing under-ground rather than higher ground.<\/p>\n

    Tip:<\/strong> To show you\u2019ve got a strong personality, make a logo with design elements falling into place like a jigsaw puzzle.<\/p>\n

    Rick Santorum<\/h2>\n

    <\/center>I love eagles, well at least as long as I\u2019m not their prey. Is that what Santorum wanted the American public to think? That they\u2019re his prey. This isn\u2019t an impressive personal branding start off. Anyhow if you focus on the hunting bird, the illustration is abstract; and the drawing could\u2019ve been refined by contouring the overall shape, the feathery wings and the face. If he wanted his personal brand to be symbolic, he should\u2019ve gotten the bird redesigned before finalizing a prototype version for his campaign.<\/p>\n

    As far as the typography goes, there is nothing spectacular about using a non-customized bold font which I found is Bentonsans Comp<\/a> or something similar. Why use a typeface that is easily identifiable? Minimalism is undoubtedly an escalating design trend but for graphic design sake, don\u2019t be too obvious and simple.<\/p>\n

    Tip:<\/strong> If you want to refine your presidential personality with your logo, use well-defined custom shapes and fonts.<\/p>\n

    Jim Gilmore<\/h2>\n

    <\/center>I think this font is perhaps Linotype Didot Roman<\/a> because the letter \u201cG, in the logo and the font, has an underlying curve like an arch of a foot. There\u2019s no harm in using serif fonts, in fact it is now a fashion to be vintage but Gilmore\u2019s look takes us back to an unwanted historic time.<\/p>\n

    I would say that as compared to his 2008 logo, the 2016 design is way better. It is an oldy-goldy font in red which proves that his audience includes baby boomers or silent generation and not millennials. You tell me, if there are any experts reading this, what more can I say about his logotype?<\/p>\n

    This is a perfect instance when you wouldn\u2019t mind the client saying, \u201cCould you do an actual logo instead of a font?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Tip: <\/strong>If you want to look old in 21st century, give a serif font a creative modern spin by using trendy typefaces.<\/p>\n

    Also Explore:<\/strong> US Presidential Slogans Gone Wrong<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Jeb Bush<\/h2>\n

    <\/center>Hey look! It\u2019s me, myself, and I. It\u2019s too pretentious especially with that exclamation mark.<\/p>\n

    John Ellis Bush abridged his name to Jeb and used it as his personal branding logo for this year\u2019s American presidential race. The logo design with his acronym and the punctuation mark has remained the same for over two decades as shared by CNN\u2019s Andrew Kaczynski.<\/p>\n

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    ICYMI: Jeb Bush debuts his campaign logo: pic.twitter.com\/tB4IFoP1ie<\/a>\u2014 Jeb Bush (@JebBush<\/a>) June 14, 2015 http:\/\/t.co\/IyvNo4dPtD<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 @PRWeekUS (@PRWeekUS) June 15, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n