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by Siegel+Gale‘s London Design Team
As design experts, we spend a lot of time thinking about logos—how the color, font, and image can more accurately communicate the brand it represents. With a big election just around the corner, we’ve also been thinking a lot about the political parties at play in the UK and how they are communicating what they stand for to voters. A party’s logo is a very simple and direct way to voice that message, but some of the current logos no longer align with party values. We decided to reimagine logos and taglines for the major UK political parties that tell the story they should be trying to tell voters.
Labour
It’s time for Labour to break through to a better Britain.
In today’s complex and cluttered world, Labour needs to be bold to stand out from not only the other parties, but the continual demands on our time and attention.
Keeping its familiar roots for loyal and existing party audiences, whilst finding new ways to connect and inspire new, younger audiences – we’ve given the historic and iconic rose new meaning and edge. The notion of rejuvenation of a party that has learned to stand up for its values and for its members: young in spirit with the weight of experience.
We’ve sharpened the typography and made all letters capitals to give the word mark a sense of authority, trust and seriousness. The rose itself has taken on more contemporary and angular dimensions. It is an icon that, like Labour itself, has stood the test of time; an icon which represents the balance between strength and humanity, the past and the future.
When it comes to photography style and campaign ideas, the sense of breakthrough translates from metaphorical to literal: it’s symbolic of Labour breaking through frontiers, forging new, better public services, breaking barriers for economic growth and for education – building a better Britain. For hope, strength and unity in areas you’d least expect.
Energy and progress are at the heart of Labour’s new visual identity and tagline. But the visual identity extends beyond: it symbolises a Labour party that embraces the simplicity of straight talking – breaking through the jargon and the complexity of everyday life. In line with the new identity, everything Labour says from here needs to be from the heart, powerful, simple and bold.
It needs to break through to a better Britain.
Conservative
With the strategic platform as the foundation, we have created a simple logotype that suggests, in various degrees of subtlety, the notions of strength and togetherness. Choosing to resist the temptation of a symbolic or metaphoric element, The Conservative Party is presented as a hardworking, reliable and confident party.
The tagline is designed and employed in the same way as the logo, functioning as an instant and ownable semiotic link back to the main mark. The result is a pair of interchangeable logotypes that are substantial, grown-up, serious and grounded.
Liberal Democrat
The new visual identity represents the essence of liberal thought and behaviour. It is a manifestation of what Britain is about and stands for as it evolves with time. Liberal thinking has helped Britain evolve to become open and united, embracing difference in a world divided by bias and dogmatism. The principles of the LibDems thus transcend race, colour, gender, and social class. They embody the essence of what it means to be human: free and empowered with choice. This empowerments gives Britain perspective and allows its people to move as one, united in difference.
UKIP
In approaching a brand project for UKIP it’s important to look for any positives about the party. Some of UKIP’s image problem may be a result of its willfully un-designed identity and communication. This is deliberate, UKIP is at pains to distance itself from the overly slick and PR manipulated presentation of the other main parties. Its lack of media savvy is seen as proof of its straight talking, heart of the issue approach. And whilst it is important to retain this straight talking everyman identity much else can be turned into positive visual asset.
Our approach has been to take key facets and put emphasis on a positive expression of these. From outdated to contemporary, simplistic to simple and straight-forward to human. And most importantly, rather than the relentless focus on what it is against, UKIP may find it benefits from communicating what it is for. Be positive not negative.
UKIP is seen as the true nasty party. A reworking of its communication approach may result in people getting past the hysteria (of both UKIP and their detractors) and focus fairly on the relative merit of their arguments. UKIP do represent a different approach to the mainstream parties and, at best, they give voice to views otherwise unheard. UKIP are a New Voice for Britain.
Identify: Basic Principles of Identity Design in the Iconic Trademarks of Chermayeff & Geismar
The NBC peacock. Chase Bank’s blue octagon. Mobil Oil’s arresting red ‘o’. PBS’s poetic silhouettes of the everyman. Though Chermayeff & Geismar may not be a household name, its logos are pervasive in every corner of the world. (One identity – the official logo for the U.S. Bicentennial – even sits on Mars). The firm’s visual identities are an integral part of American culture, and instantly recognizable by countless millions.
Authored by legendary designers Tom Geismar, Ivan Chermayeff and Sagi Haviv Identify is the ultimate authoritative examination of the process, approach, and principles that result, time and time again, in identity design with the potential to become iconic, and thus succeed in representing a brand in the mind of the public for generations. Get it here.