The new Trump-Pence campaign logo was unveiled a few days ago and was met with immediate derision or confusion. A lot of people felt that the “T” intertwined with the “P” was sexually suggestive. The logo was abandoned in favor of a new one.
I feel a little bit sorry for the graphic designer who came up with this logo. Perhaps it wasn’t a professional designer; perhaps Trump got a teen nephew of his to design it. That might explain it.
On the other hand, I’m not the sort of person who reads sex into everything, or not at first blush, so I don’t know if I would’ve picked up on the phallic side of the logo if not for other people joking about it online.
If anything, the original logo, with the overlapping letters, reminds me of sports team logs that utilize the same tactic, which I’ve never cared for. I think overlapping letters in the manner creates visual discord and it’s hard to read.
Links about the controversial Trump-Pence logo:
Trump-Pence logo gives some people the giggles
Like Airbnb, Trump-Pence logo designer forgot that the internet has a dirty mind
Trump-Pence logo raises eyebrows on Twitter
Twitter thinks the New Trump/Pence Logo Looks Sexual
Grow up, America: Trump-Pence logo no more sexually suggestive than any other
‘Inappropriate’: Graphic designers, Twitter pan the new Trump-Pence logo
by Allison Carter
July 15, 2016
Minutes after Donald Trump formally confirmed that Mike Pence will be his choice for VP, he rolled out a new logo in a fundraising email.
The logo drew a lot of attention on Twitter, so we decided to see what the experts thought.
Josh Miles, principal at MilesHerndon, was measured in his feedback. “I would commend them for doing something that feels graphic and intentional … We’ve seen other candidates on the left side of the aisle doing that very well, and few on the right. This is one of the few on the right that’s trying, but I think it’s trying too hard.”
“It looks like the design was quickly made,” said Marcel Cornett, graphic designer at TCC. “(It seems like) someone just threw it together and connected parts of the typography that didn’t go together. They’re trying to make a flag here and I understand that, but it doesn’t come across in the way that they would like it to be.”
But there’s one part of the design that has everyone talking. It’s that interconnected T and P.
“It looks inappropriate to me,” said Cornett. “I know this is not what it’s doing, but it comes off as a little too close of a connection between Trump and Pence, as if they were lovers.”
Cornett said that combining the two letters was the first thing designers often try when designing a logo.”It looks like a beginner wanted to make sure the T and P were related, so what’s better than putting the T in the P?” he said.
“…The whole interlocking thing is especially weird,” said Miles. “I think people are going to make all sorts of jokes about the two letters that are interconnected.”
Miles was certainly right.
Donald Trump Campaign Unveils New Logo After Social Media Mockery
by Katie Riley, July 16, 2016
The new logo appears to be the same, except for the removal of the controversial interlocking letters. It now shows only the candidates’ last names, one atop the other with “Make America Great Again” below.
Some of the logos on these pages are intended to be humorous:
These Reworked Trump-Pence Logos Are Equally Sharp and Hilarious
Trump-Pence Logo Gets A Redesign & It Might Be The Best Thing To Come Out Of The RNC
Here are dozens of redesigned logos for the Trump Pence 2016 campaign
By Joe Blevins
July 18, 2016
As soon as the RNC unveiled its preliminary logo for the Trump Pence 2016 ticket in a fundraising email last week, that very logo became a laughingstock on Twitter, with wags pointing out that the T in Trump appeared to be penetrating the P in Pence.
The offending emblem was retired after only a single, embarrassing day. It was a shameful episode that robbed the election cycle of its dignity and grace, threatening to make a mockery of the entire democratic process.
Fortunately, as in all times of crisis and need, the internet is ready and able to help. In particular, a logo design community called LogoMyWay,dedicated to connecting clients with designers, has issued forth a clarion call to thousands of artists the world over. The goal: Design a new, more appropriate Trump Pence logo. And did they respond? Did they ever. Dozens of entries are now available for viewing at LogoMyWay.