When jokes just write themselves

I've seen this logo around the net a few times lately, with snarky comments about the elephant's 'wide stance,' the Minneapolis-St.Paul location (stay out of the airport bathrooms, yall!) the prison-striped shirt, and the starry eye (are there drugs in the coolaid they're drinking, or does it symbolize starry-eyed optimism?). With various comments about the array of phallic-seeming tusks, trunk, tail, etc. -- and what's with that big red 2008? Is it meant to suggest an extremely Grand Old Phallus, or is the elephant attempting to, um, fuck 2008? Cause that's kind of what it looks like, at first glance. And why is the elephant's tongue hanging out like that? That's just weird.

But I thought that surely the version of the logo that everyone was snarking about was digitally altered, because, I mean, that's just too easy. Seriously. A logo like that would never make it out of the first meeting with the client. Were there no focus groups? Though if there were photoshopping going on, I'd be tempted to add the suggestion of a bathroom stall divider in the background. But I'm mean like that.

So I went straight to the source, the GOP Convention 2008 website. And clicked on the prominent "Official Convention Logo Unveiled" button. And there it was, in all its glory. Not photoshopped at all. It was designed, on purpose, by New York City-based Creative Director Robert Matza, who has, it says there, "overseen many aspects of creative development for a broad range of corporate identity clients while at Landor Associates [...]." So he obviously knows what he's doing.

In any case, they've certainly got people talking about their new logo. And there's no such thing as bad publicity, right? And according to convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino, "This design highlights the spirit of the Republican Party and it will adorn everything from the Xcel Energy Center to t-shirts and other souvenirs." To which RNC Co-Chairman and Convention Chairman Jo Ann Davidson adds, "By the time our convention is complete, this emblem [...] will have been seen by millions around the world."

Well, then. There you have it. It's the spirit of the Republican Party, highlighted. Get your minds out of the gutter, people. Personally, though I don't plan to attend the event, I would like to acquire a coupla souvenir items.

Via Suburban Guerrilla, who credits Sadly, No (which, read some of their comments for more snark. If you like that kind of thing).