Arleigh Parr // DEA2510 FALL 2018
POLITICAL DESIGN in The Empire of Alexander the Great & Modern Day America
Modern American political logos [11]
Republican and Democratic party symbols [9]
A bust of alexander wearing a herculean hat [2]
Mural depicting Alexander from Pompeii [7]
“Defiantly opinionated� political packag
Political imagery has been crucial to the success of many campaigns throughout history.
ging [12]
INTRO TO POLITICAL DESIGN Michael Bierut graphic designer at Pentagram and creator of Hillary Clinton’s ‘16 logo [5]
”
I wanted something
that you didn’t
need a software tutorial to create, something as simple as a peace sign or a smiley face. - Michael Bierut
Political imagery has been crucial to the success of many campaigns throughout history. Branding design provides a way to unite people under one cause, market anything (or anyone), and create public associations. Political branding is especially meant to make a mental impression on the public. It seems that a common theme of simplistic but, careful design was timelessly used to spread the platforms of most politicians. Alexander III of Macedon, famously known as Alexander the Great, was one of the first politicians in history to employ the power of images in order to spread his kingly message. His successors recognized the importance of political imagery and passed down Alexander’s successful design action. His exploitation of self-branding was one of the first of its kind. In his image, many American politicians have utilized design campaigns which disseminated their idealized selfimage. The political imagery used by Alexander the Great shaped the way politicians in America continue to spread their message and candidacy through similar visual campaign tools.
There’s almost always a cleverness in the design product distribution of any successful candidate.
Circulation & Awareness The way in which a person and his/her values are spread requires great effort and outreach. People must see, hear, and be constantly reminded of their message in order to be persuaded to vote for or support them. As technology advances this becomes easier because people are more connected and have a variety of tools available to spread these messages. When comparing the circulation and outreach tactics of Alexander the Great and modern American presidents it is
important to remember that the goals of these time periods differed greatly. Despite this, the everlasting impact of Alexander’s revolutionary selfpromotion can be seen through similar methods utilized in the US today. For Alexander the Great, the spreading of his name and persona began early on. Technology, and that which we ordinarily use today to easily spread politicians, did not exist in Alexander’s empire of Macedon. Instead, the fastest way
Mosaic portrays holy birth of Alexander [13]
Politically charged Facebook ads [4]
a beloved or controversial candidate is no accident How political design is shared is crucial to its impact to spread information and promote Alexander was by word of mouth. The rumors shared often resulted in the creation of the physical designs. Artists were inspired and created paintings, pottery, and mosaics which further emphasized and reinforced the tales. Alexander’s family and royal staff recognized this and wielded their power to spread myths
and legends. Most of these stories resulted in the political design which furthered his allpowerful and ruthlessly strong image. They often included Greek mythology and worked to connect Alexander to the Gods.
word of mouth and its artistic influence is no longer enough to gain a significant following. In America’s capitalist world it requires more than just design supporting the candidate. It requires clever product placement. In order to These types of relevant reach the masses and religious symbols persuade the public, are still used for candidates and their modern American logos must be seen candidates. However, in the right kinds of
places. This requires great strategy because you must decide which type of audience to target without offending another group of people. Because of these complexities, political design requires much more thought and particular placement to best affect the American public.
SELLING THE CANDIDATE
Alexander with an Elephant’s Scalp Helmet [3]
Alexander in combat with an elephant’s skin [3]
Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Alexander sarcophagus [3]
Personal Portrayal: Products & Graphics The artists, both hired and self-prompted, often create propaganda for candidates with certain characteristics in mind. They aim to portray these enticing characteristics and ideals. These messages, along with those shared by the candidate him/
herself, inspire the political designs; They embody the associations people begin to have for the candidate.
campaign logos are one of the most recognizable visuals of an election bid, second only to photographs of the candidate.” This is why CNN commentator and American political posters founder of the Center for have had such a successful Political Graphics, Carol A. and rich history with the Wells shared, “In politics, candidates’ self portrayal.
design as a marketing tool
William Taft’s campaign poster, 1908 shows Bill’s just an ordinary, friendly guy [6]
Carter’s poster portrayed Jesus and politician working in concert [17]
Obama’s poster symbolized the promise of things yet to come [6]
ration is unknowingly rooted in the political design of Alexander the Great. He ingeniously portrayed himself on the coins of his empire. But it wasn’t just his face, he had a variety of self representations all which highlighted However, the original inspi- different strengths. Some
coins showed him defeating the Indian king Porus, wearing the Persian warrior headdress, Greek armour, or elephant head, holding a lighting bolt, and many more Macedonian symbols of power and divinity.
As you can see in the figures above, each president uniquely portrayed his or himself in way to attract followers and gather votes. They often used popular motifs and shared beliefs.
We the People Art Shepard Fairey created a poster collection celebrating diversity and minorities in a time full of hatred and prejudice [6]
The goal is to influence as many people as possible and leave an imprint of the candidate through representative, but highly embellished, political design. Party Posters Anderson Design Group’s unique attempt to design for both parties equally [11]
Uniting People by Design This design attempts to unite people in support of the running politician. This propaganda often bolstered the appearances and drew from wellknown icons and images. The successful designs targeted a specific audience by using familiar references or by creating their own iconic symbol. Alexander the Great famously used God-like characteristics in his self portrayal. His effort to put himself above the
people helped unite the macedonian people as his subjects. Alexander had a particular challenge: to create this united front as he moved east and conquered new lands. To this end, the political design utilized by Alexander the Great upheld his vast identities including, “crown prince, king of Macedonia, king of Asia, son of Zeus, justice incarnated, avatar of Vishnu, and invincible god”.
Painting of Alexander and friend hunting [7]
Empire & Conquest Alexander the Great’s route and expansion of empire [15]
Political design aims to affect the masses.
American logo & political branding
trayal & folklore and the modern
Similarities between Alexander’s por-
Pussyhats proudly worn at The Women’s March 2017 [16]
Trump rally w [18]
Philip and Olympias as a god and goddess and Alexander as Pan [7]
with MAGA hats
ESTABLISHING ASSOCIATIONS The magical stories of Alexander’s strength and divinity were abundant. Before he was born, his parents, Philip II of Macedon and Olympias, had a renowned seer who spread legends of Alexander’s conception. One even described that a thunderbolt impregnated Olympias as fire flooded her body (Engellau). The seer also predicted that the child would possess the character of a lion. This imagery propelled Alexander’s connection to the Gods. But, it didn’t stop there. Alexander himself continued to emphasize his own godly image. In almost all instances of political imagery, Alexander was accompanied by a religious symbol often iconic in Greek mythology. The development of Alexander’s political imagery has many similarities to the spread of American political design and the people behind it. Like Philip II and Olympias’s attempts to spread their son’s divinity and power, many American politicians have a team of staff working to similarly spread their message and prove their worthiness for office. The stark difference of marketing the candidate to gain votes, support, or just fame, does not require greatly unique marketing strategies. In fact, it comes down to a process of utilizing iconic symbols, the masses’ preferences, and clever product distribution. As people become more accessible through design, this type of design becomes more and more powerful. The design itself becomes a symbol which stands for (or
against) the candidates. In presidential election of 2016, design had a very important role for both parties. As the stark polarization in America has spread, groups have begun to brand themselves in order to align with certain political views. Creative Director at branding agency CBX, Lesley Stordahl explained her company’s role. She shared with PRNewswire, “For women, we need to continually design knowing that a woman needs to see herself reflected there—see that it’s not just a man’s game. And so that’s my personal passion toward this: moving away from the red trucker hat and moving toward things that [make] my daughter feel like ‘I can be a part of this game just as much as anybody else.’ “ Political activist groups have begun to recognize the importance of branding as well. They have begun to establish their own logos and phrases meant to spread their set of values. Sometimes, this has been sadly used to spread hatred and other times, it has been used to spread peace and acceptance. For example, the American Neo-Nazi groups use the Nazi swastika symbol often criminally place it to deface places of worship or homes. These groups rose by 22% in 2017 increasing from 917 in 2016 to 953 groups nationally. They utilize this design, rooted in hatred and murder, to spread their hateful message. Meanwhile, the women’s march gathered a large crown wearing the newly iconic Pussy Hat. The pink cat eared hat quickly became of symbol of feminine power and gender equality.
CONCLUSION
Alexander the Great shaped the way politicians in America represent themselves While many may not realize it, Alexander the Great was one of the first to utilize political design in order to maintain the support of his people and convert his newly conquered citizens. His clever self portrayal, in concert with, his use of coins and distributed products, helped to spread his message and face. Modern American politicians have adopted this ingenious method. They have similarly found ways to infiltrate the voter’s daily live and influence their vote through powerful design. Many of these designs today are still remembered from past elections. They
Alexander Mosaic: Alexander himself [3]
act as an important record of history and represent the character and portrayal of past potential politicians and those in office. They are dutifully kept and recorded in The Library of Congress. There, they provide the rich history of American political design which has historically swayed and, in part, determined the fate of elections. These designs clearly show the great influence of Alexander the Great and his political design on the way the US continues to spread and popularize candidates and politicians to this day.
Signs in support of Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention [5]
Endnotes
Works Cited
INFLUENCE
Thank you for your time and attention.