The Feedback on the US Brand
What is the United States’ brand?
After reading The Great American Rebrand, I thought it would be a great time to talk about the American brand from a designer’s perspective. When I think of the American brand, I think of the highest office that would represent the brand within our nation and abroad. Let’s take a look at the past, present, and predict the future.
Clinton-Gore Administration (1993–2000)
The White House’s first web site was developed during the Clinton administration and made its debut in 1994.
- Introduced images and links
- The Clinton terms ended with tables and more hyperlinks
Bush-Cheney Administration (2001–2008)
The brand went through a very subtle change. The ‘blue’ became slightly darker, added a monochromatic complementary secondary blue, and the stark white became a light gray. The tone was further softened with the use of gradients. The profile section of the leadership team was a touch of personification of the brand. Finally, the features section was added to show transparency and openness.
- The introduction of a logo
- The introduction of a navigation
- The switch from tables to frames
- The upgrade to CSS was quickly implemented by the end of the first year
Obama-Biden Administration (2009–2016)
The brand continued to evolve towards inclusivity. Keeping the duel tones of blue, the ‘blue’ becoming sightly bit darker than previous, with the addition of khaki and maroon hints at the inclusion of minority groups and the opposition party without being overt. The drop-down menu de-cluttered and streamlined the brand. There’s a sense of control and purpose to every element.
- The introduction of video was huge in 2009
- The introduction of drop-down menus
- The introduction of a carousel
- The following year introduced the mobile applications
- The introduction of responsive and cohesive design in 2013
- The introduction of social media
Trump-Pence Administration (2017–2020)
The brand is the president himself. The ‘blue’ at it’s darkest ever, addition of an antique gold, and the strong party red established “he alone is America” image. The menu hidden behind an icon gave the sense of control on the issues to focus on in the minimal navigation bar. The static image of himself is a personification of his power.
- The introduction of the “hamburger” menu
- The introduction of full-page search
- The introduction of grid news
Biden-Harris Administration (2021-present)
Judging from Build Back Better, (official transition website) it’s 2020 and looks like the brand is ready for a new established leadership looking to the good old past. The ‘blue’ is electrifying blue, along with a shiny new gold, and pastel seafoam green from the 1960’s. It’s a step back to soften the brand towards calmness and cool. The brand is very clean and clear with it’s navigation being extremely minimalist with only hyperlinks. Finally, the large side profile image of him gives a sense of inclusion into the brand.
- The enhancements of accessibility
- The presence of multilingual
Final thoughts
I’m looking forward to seeing the official new whitehouse.gov on January 20th of 2021.