There are always images that end up becoming iconic and serve to define aspects of decades later on. Dorothea Lange's photo "Migrant Mother" defines a big element of the Great Depression for many. John Travolta in a white suit on the dance floor is what a good portion of the population picture at the mention of the 70s. Rosie the Riveter and a sailor kissing a nurse in Time's Square is the 40s when you want to boil it down. Each of these images only show a small part of what actually took place during these points in history but are now iconic symbols of the age. I have a feeling that today's sticker is probably going to be another.
While this isn't what is typically defined as a campaign sticker, I'm pretty sure more people remember this image than Obama's logo during his run in 2008. His campaign poster was one of the most prolific parts of that election, bringing the artist behind it to the public eye more than his graffiti had. Shepard Fairey gave many Millennials, who were voting in their first major election, a way to express their support and excitement. And of course being the age of social media, there were plenty of copycats and memes using this same style. It felt like you couldn't go a week on Facebook without something in shades of blue and red appearing on your feed. The simple style of the image and its message of Hope is what makes it so effective though. It caught your attention and was far more captivating than any of the other candidates. It made you feel like you were a part of a social movement, being about as effective in collecting supporters over social media as Obama was. While the poster originally had Progress as it's tagline and Obama's slogan was Change, both were changed to Hope to reflect the general attitude of his supporters. They were pushing boundaries and excited at the chance to make history with Obama. People's opinions of Obama may have changed over the years, including Fairey's, but doesn't change the iconic nature of his campaign.
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Maggie Ondrey
An amateur photographer and writer capturing a small portion of the city. Archives
August 2017
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