ISO50, Barack Obama and the Power of Design
Regardless of your politics, I’m pretty sure that you can get behind Scott Hansen (Mr. ISO50 / Tycho Music). He’s a brilliant designer. His print work, in particular, is a major fount of inspiration.
I saw this morning that the Obama campaign has commissioned him to do a poster, presumably a follow-up to the iconic image done by Shepard Fairey.
This kind of blew my mind. Partially because it’s a weird convergence. I didn’t really know who was paying attention to ISO50. I knew he was big but, you know, big the same way that James Doohan might be big at a Star Trek convention or the former quaterback might be big at a high school reunion. So it was strange when all of the sudden he had been commissioned by Barack Obama who is big like running for President big.
It also blew my mind because I had just assumed the previous poster had been a lucky fluke for Mr. Obama. And it may have been, but the campaign embraced it and apparently are looking for a follow-up. When I read that the Obama campaign had contacted ISO50 and asked for a poster, it got my attention. Is Barack Obama (or someone on his campaign) really that in touch with the power of a designer like Scott? Unless the design geek demographic is more important than I realized, something is going on here. Scott’s design does have broad appeal and it’s definitely evocative, but I wouldn’t call it mainstream by any means and a presidential campaign is about appealing to the masses.
That’s what gets me excited. Is the mainstream shifting? Is great design like this seeing it’s day? Is this an acknowledgment of the real power and appeal of a great design and a great designer? Apparently, the first poster is doing some good. I can’t wait to see what ISO50 has created for the second.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Funny, I always thought it was an ironic jab at the marxist leanings of the Obama camp; The posters suggesting thick strokes and dark, solid colors of communist propaganda posters.
Guess it wasn’t ironic at all.
But I suppose if you live in a world full of (literal) bomb throwing hippie radicals, racist-in-an-acceptable-way preachers and latte-sipping-Che-T-wearing supporters, you might actually look back with fondness on the grand ol’ CCCP.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Robby,
What I think you’re seeing here can in a way be tied to the design rebirth a few years ago by Apple. Before iMacs, iPods, iPhones etc I knew design was out there but just wasn’t seeing it in mainstream products. Now that high design has entered into the mainstream via the likes of Apple, Target, Method, MINI etc people now are starting to expect it. It’s no longer quirky to buy the nice looking dish soap bottle or clean lined consumer product.
Design has definately moved way upstream, mainstream? maybe but definately moving that way.
Kurt
April 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Good call Kurt. And ISO50 also has companies like Frisbee for clients…also very much in the mainstream. On the other hand, this seems new for politics…
April 30th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Mr. thesearepeoplewhodied…I thought about not approving your comment because I don’t really want this to be a forum for politics. Plus, you’re anonymous. I think the callback to political propaganda of previous generations (Marxist or otherwise) in the Fairy poster is an intersesting observation though. Other comments…let’s keep politics out of this one if possible.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Politics in programming blogs suck!
In fact, politics sucks all around. Down with politics!