| A logo is the marquee into a political party’s soul. That is, if they have one.
And Canada’s political parties all have them – logos that is.
An appealing logo is a good indication a party has some semblance of fair judgment. Optics – aside from similar alphabetics – is directly connected to politics. And first impressions are vital when pandering for votes. As we move closer to an election, this is why all Canadians should be worried.
Would you vote for a candidate whose party has no visual discernment or sensibility? A bad logo is four years of bad governance, no doubt in my mind.
A look at the logos of the Liberal, the Conservative, the New Democratic party, and the Green party proves my point.
The Liberal party has the money and the experience to generate a first-rate logo that should inspire confidence in the people.
Yet, what have they unveiled? Their logo incorporates a maple leaf resembling Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s tiara. The maple leaf protruding from the Liberal swoosh resembles a bloody crown. Are the Grits hiding their true agenda? Have they governed this country for so long they plan to make Canada into Liberal leader Paul Martin’s private kingdom?
We all know ex-PM Jean Chretien crossed swords with Lord Black of Crossharbour. But Chretien is gone. Does patriarch Martin secretly desire a John Manley-style made-in-Canada monarchy? Or does the logo reflect Martin’s love of a certain type of margarine? Who knows what vile substance is spread on Martin’s sandwiches as he greases palms from sea to sea?
"Trust us, we are better than butter," Liberal candidates will promise. Speaking of carcinogens.
The Conservative party has a serious case of logo cancer. It is a logo with terminal, but not totally incurable, graphicoma. The mutant "C" is twisted horribly out of shape. The "C" turns inside out, then outside in. The flow is all wrong.
With a logo reminiscent of the recycle symbol, the Conservatives portray their true colours: Red, white and blue. Stephen Harper, Conservative leader, please say it ain’t so. Even if the American connection is a stretch, how many voters will willingly vote for a big "C"?
As for the Green party, I cannot decide whether they have used a sunflower nebula for their logo or a pineapple? Knowing the effect global warming will have upon Canadian agriculture, I surmise a pineapple.
The Green’s logo proves that someone in the party is very capable with a spirograph, but this is not what we need to protect our country from environmental catastrophe. The party’s leader, Jim Harris, co-author of The Financial Post’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in Canada might want to change this logo, otherwise the Green party will be listed as one of the best 100 parties in Canada.
The NDP logo shows their true allegiance: fighting for the average Canadian drunkard. This logo seems a bit tipsy for my liking. With the socialist maple leaf tipping to the right, perhaps it is an indication that leader Jack Layton is more like Ralph Klein than we first thought? This is good news for the moderate reds, bad news for the hardcore CCFers. Still, there are positive aspects to this logo. The New Democrats have taken Svend Robinson’s advice and kept off the word "God." Obviously, they’re seeking to capture the growing atheist vote.
I am sure the NDP’s swaggering maple leaf will cater to those Canadians who pledge weekend allegiance to beer. Maybe this is not a bad strategy after all? However, if the New Democrats want to win an election, they had better seek a sober second artistic thought.
These logos – all duds – indicate that Canada needs an emergency law: not to stop terrorists, but to send all politicians to art school. |
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