Prescott's Design Blog

Speaking of Canada, turns out they too are holding a seemingly crucial election. In fact, by the time you’re likely reading this, it will be over and done with, and according to early reports, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party are celebrating re-election.

I’m not at all sure what that means because I don’t know anything about Canadian politics. If it’s anything like British politics (also a Parliamentary system), all parties are actually a lot closer together on the ideological spectrum, and the silliness of American arguments on issues like abortion, gun rights, and whether or not the Constitution should define marriage, are total non-issues to a modern and forward-thinking nation. But like I said, I don’t know.

So, let’s talk logos, shall we.

First up, the Conservative Party. With their bright blue and big C, they look more like a junior league hockey team than a political party, I’m afraid to say. This logo doesn’t evoke in me a sense of conservatism, prestige, old-fashionedness, upper-class-ism, tradition, or anything other synonym for conservative. Nor does it represent nutcase religious folks, who almost all consider themselves conservative here in the states.

The Big C

While it’s clear that the Liberals are Canadian, I don’t learn anything else from their logo. Are they progressive, dynamic, energetic, elitist, and the party of change? Maybe, but with that block faux-italic Clarendon-esque typeface, they aren’t telling me.

Bloc Québécois is also a party, I assume having something to do with the enduring Frenchness of Québec. According to Wikipedia, the Bloc is “devoted to both the protection of Quebec’s interests on a federal level as well as the promotion of its sovereignty.” From a graphical standpoint, this is the only one of the logos to address the cultural of historical icons of the region. The use of the Fleur-de-lis is apparent, but not overpowering. However, I have to think that the combined use of royal blue and red must make it hard to distinguish the Bloc from the Torries and Liberals.

There’s also the New Democrat Party and the Green Party. Smaller parties, but allowed to exist in a Parliamentary system.

What are your thoughts on the Canadian political party logos? Considering that only a fraction of the American totals are spend on propaganda and advertising, I don’t think logos are the first priority for Canadian politicians. In fact, electioneering is an altogether more civilised affair in the Great White North (and everywhere else).

Disclaimer No. 1 – I have never lived in Canada nor in a border region, so I don’t know much from a first-hand perspective.

Disclaimer No. 2 – I didn’t do much research. I definitely could read more about the parties and their policies.

Disclaimer No. 3 – I love Canada and have never met a Canadian I didn’t like.

Disclaimer No. 4 – The American parties don’t exactly have logos. The Republican Elephant and Democrat Donkey are symbols that go back at least 100 years, but aren’t carved into stone. In fact, they change shape and appearance all the time. And before this year, politics in general had terrible graphics. This new era of sophistication in Politics may be the best thing ever to result from the Bush years, albeit a weapon to prevent future awfulness.