January 31, 2019

"With everything looking so 1970s, I want to offer 'Malaise!' as an idea for a political slogan. Any candidate is free to use that idea. No need to give me credit."

That's something I just wrote on Facebook, at a post by my son John about the Fast Company article, "The women running for president are breaking the rules of branding/The most diverse field of presidential candidates ever is also pushing the color of campaign branding like never before."

From the article:
Elizabeth Warren sets off the fairly traditional dark blue and red in her palette with an unexpected mint green to freshen things up. The overall impression gives off a fitting academic activist vibe.

Kamala Harris’s branding features a blueish purple, a desaturated red, and a joyful, buttery yellow. The choice of yellow is an homage to Shirley Chisholm’s historic candidacy launched 47 years to the day before her own candidacy. Harris is half Jamaican and half Indian, and the palette of her branding comes across as an authentic celebration of both her identity and America’s multiracial and multicultural society.
Mint green? Joyful, buttery yellow?? That made me laugh. These colors are not fresh-looking at all. They look like they came from the 70s.

117 comments:

Mike Sylwester said...

I thought you canceled your Facebook account.

Quaestor said...

I love Harris's "For the People" slogan. Nothing says tyrannical sociopath on the make more succinctly than a politician with "for the people" on her lips

Mike Sylwester said...

All the girl candidates should use pink as their main color.

Bill Peschel said...

Old lies in new bottles.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Fast Company, Fortune, Bloomberg News have all evolved into far left crap. This is proof.

Mike Sylwester said...

Tulsi Gabbard is the prettiest girl candidate.

Nonapod said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lance said...

Have any of the men picked out colors yet?

Nonapod said...

I know I'm absolutely not the audience for any of this, not that there was much doubt. I'm wired to react to phrases like "authentic celebration" with feeling like that whatever it's describing is in fact very inauthentic. I deeply feel that all professional politicians are phony, fake, and inauthentic. I know damn well that especially when they're running for President anything they say and do, any message or slogan they put out is carefully crafted, focus tested, and not truly representative of what's in their heart, what they really think or feel. I'm constantly shocked that more people don't think like me and apparently take these people at their word.

rehajm said...

They look like they came from the 70s

They are fresh and new colors to people who don't remember the 70s. Fresh and New- Just Like Socialism!

Mike Sylwester said...

Frankly, I don't think any candidate will use the word Malaise for a political slogan.

It was nice of you, though, to offer your suggestion.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Deplorable. Go with that.

narciso said...

ditto mike, shes also among the most reasonable, in this kingdom of the blind

Achilles said...

Listening to the media you wouldn't know we have record employment and wage growth.

The voters notice though.

Charlie Currie said...

Howard - mocha java latte and carmel frap with a surprise of robusta blonde.

Larry J said...

Shorter DNC Policy: "You're too stupid to manage your own life, so give all your money and power to us."

tim in vermont said...

I'd buy the trashy paperbacks with the Harris covers.

MadisonMan said...

These colors are not fresh-looking at all. They look like they came from the 70s.

Everything old is new again.

You realize, Althouse, that well over half of the USA was not alive in the 70s.

(Note: I Made up that number. Maybe a better one would be well over half were not alive in the 60s)

Mike Sylwester said...

My own suggestion for a political slogan for a girl candidate is Feminine.

Nonapod said...

Here you go, Tim

mccullough said...

Tulsi Gabbard is good looking.

Kamala is post-menopausal. She was good looking in her 30s but she might as well borrow Hillary’s wardrobe these days.

Warren is Hillary on fewer pills. Not bloated or puffy. But not attractive either.

Gillibrand like Harris was good looking 20 years ago. But she looks like someone’s ex-wife now.

So if we are talking fashion and looks, give us Tulsi.


Mike Sylwester said...

Kamala, Elizabeth and Kirsten all look good for their ages, but they are not pretty.

Tulsi is pretty.

Mike Sylwester said...

Hillary looks good enough for her age.

Bay Area Guy said...

The 70s had some good music. The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynard.

The only malaise was caused by Jimmy Carter.

Bay Area Guy said...

Kammy was hot 25 years ago.

Now? Not so much.

Father Time remains undefeated.

MayBee said...

Kamala Harris For the Peoples Temple

That's what I hear with "people"

MayBee said...

Bobby Jindal probably wonders why nobody celebrated his diversity.

MayBee said...

Quaestor said...
I love Harris's "For the People" slogan. Nothing says tyrannical sociopath on the make more succinctly than a politician with "for the people" on her lips


No kidding

n.n said...

a political slogan for a girl candidate is Feminine

Unabashedly feminine female, husband, children, "bacon in pan," career, and all.

Abortion-free since she developed her faculties and made her first choice.

Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Sebastian said...

"With everything looking so 1970s, I want to offer 'Malaise!' as an idea for a political slogan. Any candidate is free to use that idea. No need to give me credit."

That'll go over well. Higher growth, lower unemployment, inflation in check, stocks holding up--malaise!

Of course, there's the debt. But nobody, apart from Schultz and a few "centrists," cares about that.

n.n said...

Father Time remains undefeated.

What is Father Time without Mother Nature?

Equal and complementary in progress and mortality, with enough chaotic processes to keep it, us interesting.

tim in vermont said...

“For the People” sounds like the title of a trashy paperback too.

We love “ballsy prosecutors” in TV dramas where we know the scumbag perp is guilty, and as rhhardin always points out, she’s reached the age where tough minded prosecutor is her best role, but isn’t one of their main complaints about Trump that he’s “ballsy”? Synonym “reckless”?

tim in vermont said...

For The People
Season 1
(27)
IMDb
7.1
2018
TV-14

Six young lawyers handle high-profile federal cases.

tim in vermont said...

Warren’s looks like a psychology/self-help book.

n.n said...

My vote is for Amber, Ruby, and Diamond. Keep it diverse.

SeanF said...

MadisonMan: You realize, Althouse, that well over half of the USA was not alive in the 70s.

(Note: I Made up that number. Maybe a better one would be well over half were not alive in the 60s)


This website is a couple years old, and the data's a couple years older than that, but it says over half the population is less than 38 years old.

So, yeah, "Half of the USA was not alive in the 70s" appears to be valid.

Worth noting, though, that it's not anywhere's near half the voters.

Henry said...

I thought the Kamala yellow was bad, but that Warren sage is just awful. Are you running for office or painting your rec room?

Howard said...

Percy Garris: I'm not crazy; I'm just colorful. That's what happens when you live 10 years alone in Bolivia: you get colorful... [He is shot dead]

robother said...

WTF? 10 pages of checking off traffic lights and buses?

Howard said...

Kamala goes for Indian yellow and the color purple. It's her complimentary racial identity

±â±£™ said...

Which candidate will wear gauchos, a moo moo, or a pair of saddle back dittos. Bring back the energy crisis, odd even gas days, "don't be a litter bug" campaign. Oh and try to force the metric system again.

stevew said...

Do we have evidence that these branding efforts and things like slogans, buttons, and posters, make a difference in the support for the candidate? Make America Great Again isn't a brand, it's a theme, and indicator of the candidate's guiding principle. For The People has that sort of ring to it. WARREN, all by itself, is at best nothing, at worst an indicator of what she is focused on.

Some are in the too clever by half realm and open the door to mockery.

Doug said...

Kammy was hot 25 years ago.

Now? Not so much.

Father Time remains undefeated.

Time is a great healer ... but a lousy beautician.

Bay Area Guy said...

What is Father Time without Mother Nature?

Well, I think Mother Nature was quite generous to Ms. Harris, until Father Time screwed it up.

Of course, one could plausibly argue that Hillary Clinton got shafted by both.

Speaking of which, of the 4 Presidential female wannabes,

1. Warren
2. Gillibrand
3. Harris
4. Gabbard

.. only Warren & Gilibrand have kids.

I dunno about y'all but middle class, middle-age women without kids strike a big societal red-flag with me. This might be politically "problematic" for the other 2 motherhood-deniers.

Doug said...

My God! Repeal the nineteenth amendment NOW!

Henry said...

I disagree that these are '70s designs. They are oughts designs. The mint green. The word cloud. Gillibrand's Empire Strikes Back aesthetic is more Star Wars reboot than original Star Wars.

The Tulsi design is actually fresh. It has the most '70s vibe, actually, with the rounded type style, but updated in a trendy way. That's what the cool kids are doing these days. The color splash is fun without being garish. The Futura 2020 is very oughts, though.

stevew said...

Btw, the "Malaise Speech" was quite late in the decade of the 70's (1979). If it was a campaign speech for his 1980 run it clearly failed to win him the election. I think the contrast with Reagan's ebullient attitude about America and Americans did Carter in, in combination with Carter's Eeyore act.

So I'm fully in support of the Dems taking on the Malaise mantra in their campaigns.

Henry said...

Gillibrand's poster is actually a lot like Trump's 2016 poster. Except Trump used a white background and she's using a dark one. And her name is twice as long so she uses a narrow sans-serif font instead of a fat one.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The gimmick gals.

Late TeeVee Kimmel.

Known Unknown said...

Warren is a 90s boutique for tweens
Harris is a Netflix show
Gillbrand is a business-first airline
Tulsi is a British grocery store

n.n said...

Mother Nature was quite generous to Ms. Harris, until Father Time screwed it up.

Mother Nature designed the processes, and Father Time, working in tandem, enabled them. MN designed a media that loses coherence, and FT provided the medium for its progression, or evolution from our limited perspective.

Birches said...

At least Tulsi's makes sense because she's from Hawaii. Everything else is terrible. I can't even tell that's pink in Gillibrand's. Warren is old lady green.

MayBee said...

I'm guessing Fast Company reached out to the design firms to find out what they were trying to say with their color selections. How else is anyone going to say, "Oh, that navy, red, and mint green has an unexpected academic activist vibe"

n.n said...

Black is slimming, moderate. White is pure, privileged. Brown is diverse, colorful. The Devil wears Orange. I like mint chocolate and a French roast.

ALP said...

I am waiting to see how the feminist double standard will play out here. We've already seen the 'how dare you bring up her romantic life as a campaign issue' double standard. With so many female candidates - my god, is there enough popcorn in the world to get through this? My paranoid self makes me wonder if this is the overall plan: put enough women and POC in positions of power, make any criticism of them evidence of sexism/racism - voila: a power structure that represses amy dissent.

Bilwick said...

Why not, Dems? It worked so well for Jimmy Carter.

YoungHegelian said...

I guess the motto "Liquidating the Kulaks. Together." was already taken.

CJinPA said...

The most diverse field of presidential candidates ever

All feminists, with virtually no policy differences between them. Diverse.

I remember when at one point the 2016 GOP primary polling was topped by:

1. White Guy
2. Hispanic Guy
3. Another Hispanic Guy
4. Black Guy
5. White Woman

Curious George said...

"hey look like they came from the 70s."

No kidding. I bet they don't shave down there either.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Leftwinger feminazis all trying desperately to out leftwing each other.

blech.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Tulsi is the least bad.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Quaestor said...
“I love Harris's "For the People" slogan. Nothing says tyrannical sociopath on the make more succinctly than a politician with "for the people" on her lips.”

Maybee said...
“No kidding”

Trump said...
“I alone can fix it!”

reader said...

The mint green is much more 70’s doctor’s office green. Supposedly soothing.

walter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bay Area Guy said...

Kirsten Gillibrand is 5 ft 3.

Not to be too shallow or superficial, but I have a problem with this too.

Tulsi served in the military, so now we have 3 female lawyers and 1 female warrior? And Tulsi is 5 ft 8?

I'll take her.

walter said...

Viva los Vulvas..
Malaise Forever!

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Malaise now!

Hmmm, seems wrong.

WintersTale said...

Seems Althouse is a little scared of Harris. I'd take Harris in a heartbeat over the hot mess we have right now.

walter said...

Free stuff! (For the people)

Bilwick said...

"I guess the motto 'Liquidating the Kulaks. Together.' was already taken."

Much to Inga and Pee Pee's disappointment.

lgv said...

From purely an art standpoint, Tulsi wins. Gillibrand 2nd. The other two are fugly.

Forget Malaise.

Think Mayonnaise. Real Mayonnaise.

FullMoon said...

The mint green is much more 70’s doctor’s office green. Supposedly soothing.

Penitentiary Green

Mr Wibble said...

Tulsi served in the military, so now we have 3 female lawyers and 1 female warrior? And Tulsi is 5 ft 8?

I'll take her.


Gillabrand and Warren give off an "ex-wife" vibe. Harris, the harridan boss who'd stab you in the back.

FullMoon said...

All these posters and slogans remind me of "The Apprentice"competitions.

Need George and Carolyn to pick a winner.

Wince said...

Kamala Harris’s branding features a blueish purple, a desaturated red, and a joyful, buttery yellow.

Wow, you're gonna want to smoke a cigarette after that.

Breezy said...

Umm. USA colors are red, white and blue. Any logo or theme not including some bold combination of these colors depicts a candidate who is not really interested in winning the presidency. And not-bold shades of any color for this purpose is just whimpy. Who wants a president aka commander in chief who is whimpy?

tcrosse said...

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, George Will is beating the drum for Amy Klobuchar. Wipe that smirk off your face.

Bay Area Guy said...

Hey, were we talking about the female presidential candidates' posters or their looks?

Asking for a real good friend.

Anthony said...

Tulsi and Kirsten Synema on the same ticket would have the horndog vote all wrapped up.

Totally a ticket I could, ummm, get behind.

wildswan said...

"For the People" but not "Of the People", "By the People."

"For the People - I'm going to do it all MYYYYY WAAAAAAAAYYY."

Michael said...

Warren and Harris are like 70's appliances: Avacado and Harvest Gold

RobinGoodfellow said...

I think Jimmah Carter already tried the malaise thing.

PGK Mark said...

Malaise. Good times.

wildswan said...

KaMalaise Harris: America is no damn good. Vote for Me.


RobinGoodfellow said...


Blogger Mike Sylwester said...
Hillary looks good enough for her age.


Yeah, if she were 125 years old.

funsize said...

they all look basically the same.

Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.

PM said...

"The women running for president are breaking the rules of branding...pushing the color of campaign branding like never before."

Milton Glaser just horse-laughed so hard, there was a little eruption of dirt.

narciso said...

good grief, George will can't even buy a clue.

PM said...

Oops, sorry Milt. Looking fwd to your 90th.

pacwest said...

"KaMalaise Harris: America is no damn good. Vote for Me."

Hey, it worked in Arizona.

Clyde said...

Tulsi looks better at a distance. I saw a really unflattering photo of her on this Salon.com article about her campaign "imploding".

Unknown said...

Ah yes, "For the People!" Just like the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is neither Democratic nor a Republic, nor for the people.

"For the People" is code of "Communists competing to see how high the body count can get!"

--Vance

Bay Area Guy said...

@Clyde,

Tulsi looks better at a distance. I saw a really unflattering photo of her on this Salon.com article about her campaign "imploding".

Hmmm. I definitely agree that the close-up of Tulsi is "problematic."

I may have to switch to Gillibrand. But only if she adopts that ghetto cadence in her every day speech, while losing the hand gestures.

Qwerty Smith said...

Warren places "-build" beneath "will." Is that subliminal messaging that she will build the wall? I'm guessing that was accidental and pretty dumb.

Michael said...

The people writing (and reading) this stuff were barely born in the '70's, if that. How would they know?

Qwerty Smith said...

Breezy said... USA colors are red, white and blue. Any logo or theme not including some bold combination of these colors depicts a candidate who is not really interested in winning the presidency.

Any candidate who wants to win the Democratic nomination needs to appeal to a primary electorate full of people who think patriotism is dangerous, racist, or at least corny. I don't think SJWs are looking for candidates draped in patriotism. Maybe candidates should avoid red, white, and blue until the general election.

Big Mike said...

I am watching a Smithsonian show about First Ladies. Turns out Hillary always had bad taste in clothes. How did I not notice that her terrible taste in clothing until 2016?

Big Mike said...

These colors are not fresh-looking at all. They look like they came from the 70s.

I remember the art of the 1970s as psychedelic, with vivid colors.

narciso said...

she may be on the wrong side of this argument here:


https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/31/florida-democrats-donald-trump-venezuela/

Temujin said...

https://www.forthepeople.com/

Bob Boyd said...

If you lined up these posters on the floor and started a chameleon crawling across them from one end, the chameleon would fall into a depression so deep it would slash its own wrists before it got to the other end.

Seeing Red said...

The Nation’s mother.

A nag.

Drago said...

Inga: "Trump said...“I alone can fix it!”'

Which is absolutely true in a campaign environment where every other candidate from both parties is aligned on the other side.

Inga doesnt understand strategic differentiation, because to understand you would have to read beyond just the headlines.

In the strategy world this is a bit of a "duh" moment, whereas Inga thinks its a gotcha!

LOL

It gets better every day.

Next up for the dems, specifics on their proposed "4th trimester" abortion policy...which fits nicely into the lefts historical "Any x-mester killing policy".

Seeing Red said...

The more radical abortion proponents want 2 years.

Leora said...

I Finally figured out who Kamala reminds me of. It's that homicidal First Lady in the "24" TV series.

William said...

If you laid all the female candidates end to end, Bill Clinton would be there......The fact that Salon posts unflattering photos of her is a plus for Tulsi.....Women seem to give the better looking man a leg up. Beto is definitely the best looking male candidate. That and his utter inexperience are mostly what he has working for him. It's rare you find a Dem this good looking without several paternity suits. I don't know if good looks are that effective for women. Tulsi's good looks might trigger a mean girl response and work against her. The women who were against Palin were rabid in their hostility..

Mark said...

They all look like they came from the 70s -- if "the 70s" is code for trite tablet computer tiles.

Kathryn51 said...

Breezy said...
Umm. USA colors are red, white and blue.

Here's the real message of all these signs - We do not want to associate with Red, White and Blue. The colors of the US flag are not MY colors. No one can accuse us of appealing to "patriotism".

Tulsi (apparently the "attractive" one) is the only one willing to use patriotic colors. Good for her.

In the Dem primary, the absence of flag colors will be considered a plus (or, the use of flag colors is a negative). Once nominated, they will haul out USA colors.

Known Unknown said...

I still Love Trump's Hate.

tcrosse said...

Spy Magazine December 1988 ish did a comprehensive look back at 1970's style. I heartily recomment it. 70's Style: The Wide Decade

Kevin said...

Have any of the men picked out colors yet?

Trump’s got red, white and blue.

Breezy said...

Imagine being on a team with whatever colors... you decide you want to be captain of that team. To do so, you decide your logo should be some other color scheme. Who would take you seriously? You do not get it!

Inga...Allie Oop said...

Trump’s got orange.

Lexington Green said...

Can’t do red, white and blue. Some see those colors as standing for oppression and white privilege.
I heard a crowd of lefties chanting: “no border, no wall, no USA at all!” Really.
The Ds should all adopt that as their official chant.

pacwest said...

"Trump’s got orange."

Orange is the new black.

Drago said...

Inga: "Trump’s got orange."

Kerry got there first...and in those days the dems argued that focusing on tan colors was a distraction.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.breakingnews.ie/world/kerry-sees-red-at-orange-tan-jokes-168934.html

But history began anew for the lefty dopes so now tan colors are Important Topics That Must Be Discussed Constantly.

LOL

Rusty said...

Trumpis already rebuilding the middle class, Elizabeth, you're just going to fuck it up again. That's what emocrats do.