Simplicity and recognition are often prioritized over creativity in the field of political branding, and the desire for campaigns to deliver what is comfortable and familiar to voters tends to overwhelm any desire to go against the grain.

Unfortunately, this attitude’s prevalence is so overwhelming that campaign logos begin to blend together. The same red, white, and blue designs. The same sans-serif fonts. The same stars and stripes. There needs to be a balance between providing simplicity and familiarity with uniqueness. Thankfully, this gives campaigns an opportunity to stand out and above others by doing just a few things differently than the rest of the field.

We wanted to look at some campaign logos that Anthem Communications had no part in. We do so indiscriminately, not looking at the political party, electoral results, or any other background information for the campaign. Not surprisingly, of the seven we’ve chosen to highlight, five are from Democratic candidates (most likely six, but one is a nonpartisan city council race), and only one is from a Republican candidate. Democrats tend excel at the creativity game, which may be because traditionalism is antithetical to leftist philosophy or simply that those involved in creative arts tend to be more liberal.

Heidi Sloan for Congress (Democrat, Texas)

Designed by Bryan Butler and Lauren Dickens, Heidi Sloan’s logo is fantastic. Bold, simple, easily recognizable. Geometric, pleasing to the eye, and with a color palette that blends together seamlessly. The only critique we’d offer (and we’re not certain about it) is the color chosen for “For Congress” being standalone in that the off-white isn’t incorporated anywhere else within the mark.

Usually, first-name campaign logos are reserved for congressional, statewide, and Presidential elections, and usually for good reason. I’d only recommend those with particularly unique first names do so in down-ballot races.

Kelly Daughtry for Congress (Republican, North Carolina)

Many campaign seek to utilize the outline of their state (or district) in the logo itself, and many times, it simply doesn’t work well. In Kelly Daughtry’s case, I think the designer did a great job. The state shape also contains some easily recognizable geographic imagery – mountains and farmland – and while the logo uses the standard red, white, and blue palette, it does so in a unique way with colors that are more pleasing.

Arjun Batra for San José City Council (Nonpartisan, California)

Arjun Batra’s logo for his city council campaign may not win awards or make other “top campaign logo” lists, but we find it to be aesthetically pleasing. It incorporates a few more colors, but does so in a manner that is not overly complex or distracting. Blue, yellow, and green go well together. Again, recognizable, simple, yet creative.

Gregory Whitten for Congress (Democratic, Arizona)

We love seeing serif fonts get some love in respect in a sans serif era. It’s hard to incorporate the classic look of a font like Gregory Whitten chose with other modern aspects, but we think this campaign did it well. Though this logo also incorporates a separate color for the tagline, it seems to work a bit better in this case.

Nicole Ruscitto for State Senate (Democratic, Pennsylvania)

Admittedly, we’re bothered that the designer in this case chose to arc the text for Ruscitto instead of arch it, resulting in the “R” not lining up with the container border, but we otherwise like this logo format and the classical colors make it memorable.

Dylan Fernandes for State Senate (Democratic, Massachusetts)

Obama blues still have a place in politics today, as Dylan Fernandes’ campaign proves. Additionally, logos that attempt to incorporate the first letter of the last name usually fall flat. Feeble attempts to recreate the Obama “O” tend to fall flat with voters and we’d rarely recommend it for races below congress on the ballot. Regardless, Fernandes’ logo doesn’t try too hard.

Judy Rowe for State Representative (Democratic, Indiana)

Judy Rowe’s campaign logo incorporates the classic red, white, and blue in a unique way that both effectively communicates the most important aspects (name and office) while still incorporating a unique shape with the semi-circled district on the bottom. Again, this logo is simple, yet unique. Three colors, nothing too fancy or abstract.