Sen. Rand Paul is running for president. It’s not clear why he’s running for president, other than finding a new use for his dad’s old mailing list, and it’s not clear what political expertise Rand Paul brings to the table that could not be matched or exceeded by a worn copy of Atlas Shrugged tied to a rhododendron.
Team Rand Paul also has merchandising website up and running. The standard yard signs, placards (Rand on a stick), t-shirts, and baseball caps. The eyechart is unique. “Unique” is also the claim for the Ladies Liberty Burnout Tee, but it’s feminine cut and fashion-forward style is at best a dubious claim. It does, however, offer a clue as to the Rand Paul logo –a big red blob ragged in the top and right hand side — that had me stumped.
Is it a flame drawn by a five year old? Business Insider reports that it’s supposed to be a torch. What a flame or torch is supposed to symbolize for Rand’s campaign is a bit of a flicker. Design experts have essentially said that it sucks.
[Richard Westendorf] “This looks as if it was dashed off in PowerPoint by a staffer. …
[Milton Glaser] “Are we talking about Rand the candidate or Rand the corporation? Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing because the generic torch applies equally to either entity,”
“While graphic designers will appreciate the fact that the interval between the ‘A’ and the ‘N’ forms the base of a torch, the average viewer will not make the connection, and the dash and flame sit above the word almost as though it was an accent mark. In short; no uniqueness, no memorability, no real purpose,” he said.
IOW a dud that’s not going to increase sales of Rand Paul’s memorabilia because it’s not visually appealing. Plus, it lacks meaning without a decoder wand and that product isn’t yet available.