Visual Political Brand Identities in the 2018 U.S. Midterm Election

Date

2020-04-27

Authors

Orgunov, Katie

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Worldwide access

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Abstract

Political candidates’ logos can shape voters’ perceptions of candidates and inform them of candidates’ political brands through their design. This paper explores the design elements used in logos and their relationships with the candidate and views them in terms of brand differentiators and boundary conditions. Through conducting a content analysis on a stratified sample of thirty candidate logos from the 2018 U.S. midterm election, this study found that there are significant relationships between logo elements such as colors, typefaces, and text, and candidate characteristics such as gender, political party, incumbency status, and geographic region. A semiotic analysis of the same sample further revealed how logos were often reflective of a candidate’s platform or personal identity. These findings are reflective of a shift in American politics that increases the importance of branding and design in campaigns.

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