techPresident - John McCain launches new website - Comments

Comments not intended for a specific issue position

Raven Brooks — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 18:20:16 -0500

My comments were not intended to say anything about McCain's position on the war. He is welcome to his position and I definitely think that for the purposes of discussion any bias towards candidates is best kept to a minimum.

But one simply cannot consider something like branding in a vacuum. David suggests that the branding a color choice are a strong point of the site. Completely putting aside my political beliefs and looking at it objectively I can say they are not.

I get that he wants to be distinctive and therefore the standard color pallet of red, white, and blue wasn't chosen.

But given current political events and very specific graphical choices made on the site (The black American flag is a perfect example) it says all the wrong things about him and I'd consider it a weakness of the site.

Speaking strictly as a professional (one of the many things I do is web design) if I were consulting with McCain on this site and he said that he wanted to be distinctive, to carry his reputation as a maverick onto the web, and to appear strong on national security there is no way I would have recommended something like this.

As I said before there are things worth praising on the site, but the branding and color choice are not one of them and I stand by that opinion not as someone who loves politics but as a professional.

Let's leave the political judgments for elsewhere

Micah L. Sifry — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 09:35:16 -0500

Raven--

I know it's going to be impossible to evaluate candidate websites without regard to politics, but I think we would all benefit if we agree to set aside our personal political disagreements on this site. Obviously you don't like McCain's position on the Iraq War...and I can imagine other readers conversely don't like the positions of some of the other candidates too. But there's no way to settle that argument, and I'd really prefer if people used other sites that are all about political debate for these kinds of comments.

Micah

Branding & Design

Raven Brooks — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:59:23 -0500

McCain may be trying to brand himself as "cool" and "hip" but a) I'm not sure if it is possible for someone who will be 72 in 2008 to do that and b) using black, white and grey as a color pallet does not make you cool and hip. The guy isn't Steve Jobs.

For point A I could buy someone younger like Giuliani or Romney trying to brand themselves as cool, but not someone McCain's age.

Point B, to me what makes you cool and hip isn't the color pallet, it is what you do. As a prime example of a candidate who is doing an impressive job of branding himself as cool just take a look at Obama's site. It isn't the blue and white it is the fact that he's using almost every cutting edge web technology available (or at least trying) and he's reaching a much younger and tech savvy audience because of it. Edwards is doing some of the same things as well.

The color pallet should convey emotions to web site readers. The first thing that struck me with McCain's site wasn't "hawk" or "serious" or "tough on national security" it was as the commenter above noted "grim", "death" and "mourning". Things like the black American flag completely drive that home and I think that's terrible branding for him. It feels like I'm going to a funeral, not trying to get excited about a candidate. The short message of what it says is "Vote for me, and we'll have 4 more years of funerals and body bags coming home from Iraq."

There are things I like about this site, but his branding is definitely not one of the things I'd put in the good column.

Re: Website

David All — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:36:53 -0500

Tobin -

I've had another person email me that same comment. Actually, this individual was a little peeved that they took the color out of the American flag.

I think that they're trying to use the black and white as a "branding" element, a way to cut the clutter, and give something for people to talk about.

In the world of special effects and zing, it's a way to bring it back to the simple times. And that's saying something worth sharing with our friends.

David

Website

Tobin Van Ostern — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:57:13 -0500

I agree that the website is quite impressive. My first gut reaction though was how dark/grim it is. It's almost entirely black, the flag is colorless, etc... I just found that aspect (while not a content issue) depressing.

~Tobin

John McCain launches new website

David All — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:37:06 -0500

I just got back to Capitol Hill from a preview of John McCain's new website which has now launched at johnmccain.com.

I joined two other DC-based conservative bloggers (Rob Bluey and Matt Lewis), and CNN's Abbi Tatton, at McCain's campaign hq in Arlington, VA for a sneak-peak of the website.