Advertising One: Campaign Button Exercise
(above buttons from my personal collection...I LOVE this stuff!)
Before we start our first major assignment in ad one, I want you guys to complete an exercise involving campaign buttons. Each of you will be assigned a 2008 presidential candidate (no, you can't choose) and you will create a button or a series of buttons that we will produce in class a week from Friday on my one inch button maker. Each graphic is one inch in diameter and has to promote your candidate. You will do excellent, unbiased research. You will be incredibly informed on your person and in turn make an intelligent, exciting button.
Investigate past campaign advertising. Why does it all look the same? Read the articles that I have posted and visit current campaign sites. How are the politicians advertising? Is it effective?
A button is simple. A button is small. A button has a rich history in campaign politics. Do you part and make great work.
Since there are eleven of you in class we have eleven candidates: Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson
You will pick a name from a box. The person you pick is your client. You may not agree with your client, but it is your responsibility to represent him/her in the best way possible. So zip it and get to researching.
Here are some links you should look at:
What Wikipedia has to say: United States presidential election, 2008
What 37 signals has to say: Presidential candidate logos = politics as usual
What Logo Blog has to say: U.S. Political Campaign Logos
What Steven Heller has to say: The Dreary Art of Presidential Elections: Voice: AIGA Journal of Design
some vintage youtube videos to get you in the mood:
Daisy Girl (1964)
Willie Horton political ad 1988
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