Biden buttons up his new campaign branding for a tough fight

President Joe Biden is officially running for reelection with a new logo that shows the red stripe “E” in his last name now waving like a flag. Say hello to Biden ’24.



Biden’s announcement video assumes former President Donald Trump, or at least an heir to MAGAism, is on track to challenge him next year, but how do you rebrand for a sequel voters aren’t particularly interested in?



Polling has found voters are unenthusiastic about the prospect of Biden versus Trump II, but the Biden 2024 identity sticks to presidential rebrand fundamentals: Keep what voters know, but update it enough to stay current.



Biden’s Twitter header image (top) and Biden-Harris 2024 campaign bumper stickers and buttons. [Image: courtesy of the author]



The Biden campaign didn’t immediately make creative director Robyn Kanner available for comment, but we can assume there were no mood boards used in the making of this rebrand. Kanner told the New York Times in a story published earlier this month that she designs for “worlds” instead of “mood boards.”



“A mood board is an idea,” Kanner said. “A world is a place that triggers all my senses.”



Creative from Biden campaign digital ads running on Meta platforms. [Image: courtesy of the author]



The Biden campaign’s 2020 world introduced gradients into political design, but across Biden’s 2024 launch day digital assets there was only one piece of creative I came across that used a gradient. The ad, running on Meta, used a classic orange-to-purple gradient, and the copy was an apology: “You know I hate to ask, but a donation would mean a lot.”



In lieu of gradients, Biden’s 2024 identity introduces an off-white creme to complement the campaign’s red and blue. A similar color combination was previously used in the Philadelphia 76ers 2019-20 City Edition uniforms, and it provides a way to “world build” in traditional American colors distinct from the Trump campaign aesthetic.



Detail of handwritten elements (top) and a Biden-Harris 2024 fundraising landing page (bottom). [Image: courtesy of the author]



Another new element in Biden’s campaign identity is handwritten scribbles and notes. The effect is used to jazz up graphics with underlines and circles for emphasis, and slogans are written in a controlled but relaxed cursive you’d expect from the husband of an English professor who signs bills into law for a living.



Biden’s first Instagram post of the campaign was the new logo with a call to action to join the campaign’s text list, and a caption positioning the campaign as a fight against “MAGA extremism.” In a launch email to supporters, Biden reiterated the message of his launch video: “When I ran in 2020, I said we were in a battle for the soul of America. We still are.”



Biden’s first Instagram post of the 2024 campaign (left) and his campaign’s announcement fundraising email (right). [Image: courtesy of the author]



The campaign’s Team Joe and Vote Joe accounts posted the most experimental graphics in 2020, but in their first posts back, the formerly gradient-heavy accounts have new yellow, black, and white graphics. The color scheme is giving Clinton 2016 campaign opposition branding, but so far the accounts are promoting Biden’s first-term record and making the case why he deserves a second.



Graphics from the Team Joe and Vote Joe accounts. [Image: courtesy of the author]



Make no mistake: This is the Biden-Harris reelection campaign. The campaign website’s favicon isn’t the new waving Biden E, but a BH monogram. Vice President Kamala Harris appears 12 times in the reelection announcement video and in 57% of the campaign’s digital ads with photos now running on Meta platforms. While some pundits cast Harris as a drag on the ticket, Biden’s campaign launch treats her as one of its greatest assets.



The campaign’s online storefront is selling items with the new logo, but the merch that received the most attention is the “Dark T-shirt” and “Dark Roast Mug” showing Biden’s “Dark Brandon” character with glowing red eyes. “Best worn while vanquishing Malarkey,” the shop page reads.



The “Dark T-shirt” and Biden-Harris 2024 yard sign. [Image: courtesy of the author]



Biden’s 2020 campaign world was lit by gradients that felt like the future and looked like candy. So far, his 2024 campaign world isn’t as sugary. The updated color scheme feels classic and the creme carries the weight of parchment or official White House letterhead. The handwritten marks aren’t doodles you’d find on the back of a napkin; they’re notes from the president.



Biden’s logo evolution: 2020 primary logo (top left), 2020 Biden-Harris logo (top right), and 2024 Biden-Harris logo. [Image: courtesy of the author]



The challenge in any reelection campaign is to convince voters progress is being made but the job isn’t done, and Biden’s visual identity is built to communicate things like his White House accomplishments and record on infrastructure. While next year’s race could become a dreaded rerun of the last presidential campaign, Biden’s visual branding is preparing at least for a world that looks different.



This article was originally published in YELLO, a newsletter about the art, design, marketing, and visual trends defining the look of politics today. Subscribe here.