The Branded Candidate 2010

One of Time's Best Inventions of 2008 was "The Branded Candidate", referring to Barack Obama's amazingly well executed use of coherent system of fonts, logos, and slogans in his campaign. Of course all candidates are actively marketed to the people, but Obama's brand was far more cohesive than anything that came before it.

Naturally, anyone running for office anywhere would want to follow his example. Here are some logos of 2010 Philippine presidential candidates. Click the images for much larger versions.

Noynoy Aquino


Noynoy's use of typography is not consistent-- his website uses Impact, his Facebook uses something else, his twitter uses something else, and so on. What is consistent is his use of color and the dove-ribbon logo. I'm not a fan of the way the dove's wing curves around into that awkward shape, but the dove image brings along a sense of peace and innocence. The color yellow instantly draws a mental connection to his strongest selling point, his parents. And his adoption of the yellow ribbon as his logo shrewdly converts Cory mourners into instant Noynoy supporters.


Manny Villar


Villar has long worked on adopting the color orange into his brand, wearing that same orange polo shirt everywhere he's gone for the past year or two. His presidential campaign uses the check mark for his logo, integrating it into his name as the letter V. That, combined with the forward-leaning letters, sends an image of an active and forward-looking campaign. Interestingly, the main page of his recently redesigned website no longer has the check mark logo.


Gilbert Teodoro


The Gibo campaign has been horribly inconsistent in implementing its brand. While there is a consistent use of the number 1 in place of the letter I (G1BO), I've never seen it implemented in the same font twice. The image seen here is just one of dozens of interpretations that I found in Teodoro's Facebook fan images. What they do have consistent, if nothing else, is the use of the color green.


Dick Gordon


Gordon no longer appears to be a seriously winnable candidate in this election, but he earns mention for his logo. The bolt of lightning integrated into his name conveys a sense of energy in his campaign that I would not have otherwise sensed. His color of choice is red, though he hasn't really been visible enough to establish it himself. Another thing to note... compare his website and barackobama.com-- it is clear where he gets his inspiration.