Rivers of ink and millions of pixels have been devoted to the success of Brand Obama. One of the most potent elements of the brand has been the logo, that ubiquitous and multi-purpose Obama “O”.

Oddly enough, it’s with a mixture of pride, humility and consternation that I speak about my participation in the creation of this historic icon, a benchmark for political campaigns to come.

The Pride

Who wouldn’t be proud to be involved in such a historic moment? And who wouldn’t be proud to see a mark you helped bring to life accepted, adopted, and adapted by so many people? You’d be stupid not to be.

So what was my participation? Well, the easiest way to explain it is by way of design critic Alice Rawsthorne’s article in the International Herald Tribune:

“David Axelrod wanted an iconic mark that communicated hope, change and the dawn of a new era of political leadership,” explained Steve Juras, creative director of mo/de, which developed the original identity with the fellow Chicago design consultancy Sender LLC before handing it over to Obama’s internal design team.

To make a long story short, as the creative director at mo/de I secured the creative partnership with Sol Sender and Sender LLC, wrote the creative brief that guided the logo development process, presented to and consulted with Axelrod over the final interations and then directed the animation of the approved logo that appeared on most  of Obama for America’s broadcast and web-based content.

The Humility

It’s difficult to speak about this experience, however, without feeling humbled. It’s a sentiment rooted in:

1) a knowledge that every design process is a collaborative one (there are a lot of people responsible for bringing any design solution to life and to bring specific attention to myself feels a bit disingenuous).

2) a belief that a piece of graphic design alone can only do so much (it’s important, not omnipotent).

And just to elaborate on point 2): the initial identity was created very quickly, over a matter of days. This is nothing compared to the countless hours sacrificed by Obama supporters who made phone calls, knocked on doors, held meetings and basically upheld basic democratic ideals.

This is not to say that the “O” did not inspire, motivate or simply move people. It certainly did. We should simply remember that inspiration is only worth the amount of real action following behind it.

The Consternation

Like any successful brand, the Obama logo is now being co-opted for purely commercial purposes:

Not a surprise but disappointing nonetheless. This movement from politics to commerce could quickly evacuate meaning from the “O” and render it a quaint historical artifact. But we’ll see what happens.

More to come.