@19 It's not a troll comment. I design for progressive campaigns and orgs and I'm constantly fighting well-intentioned but messy input from volunteers.

If you think message and aesthetics don't have to mesh up, go read the threads on techpresident.com about the new obama site (which i largely like). Dems and Reps alike have expressed issue with the overly blue look as being counter to his reaching out message. And that's just on the color...

Design is a very small part of the overall effort of a campaign, but it shouldn't cause problems or stick out. But please begin to explain the problems with my comments on the culture wars...

You seem to be the expert. But my experience in campaigns across the country tells me that those themes play a major part in the South, West and major purples like Ohio.

But clearly you're not nearly as familiar with Obama's messaging as you think you are. He's reaching out to Red Staters in what you might call dead-ender states like Kansas. You don't think folks are concerned with their guns and bibles in Kansas? Maybe you've been out of the country for a while.

His appeal to independents and cross-over voters is key to his 50-state strategy. His campaign is heavily influenced by recent red state successes like Schweitzer. Hell, why do think he risked alienating the gay vote by holding gospel concerts with prominent ex gays and homophobes. He's reaching across the aisle to your dead enders.

And why do you think there hasn't been a single pro gun control Dem since Gore bit it over Columbine. Obviously, every feasible Dem that ran this cycle is concerned with what dead-enders think.

And no, I don't think the typical voter will make the Mao connection. But will a well informed consultant toss this in a Oppo file for some point when it may be pertinent? Yes.

And that's what I was talking about, as professional campaign staff we often have to work around well intentioned supporters. Sometimes it works very well as with Phil's 1984 video for Obama, but there the 1984 aesthetic was turned against the Hillary. Here, I don't believe the hipster ironic aesthetic works in Obama's favor.

And I completely agree with (2) which is why I think designers shouldn't add to the problems with really cool looking but ill-informed designs.

This poster may appeal to die hard supporters, especially younger ones given our nation's crappy knowledge of history, but it's a liability to the campaign.

The Obama cult of personality takes on disturbing proportions as it begins to inspire neo-Maoist imagery. This poster has a creepy 1984 vibe with it's imperative message to progress.

But maybe the campaign likes the cult of personality because there are already variations of this with "HOPE" outside the debate Thursday night.

But I think the visual association with totalitarian leftist movements like Mao's and Stalin's are problematic for the campaigns message of one nation and unity given the the Right is already overly concerned about the culture wars. This feeds that concern by associating his throngs of supporters with the Cultural Revolution, coming to your home soon to take your bibles and guns and re-educate you.

The artist has every right to make this poster, but if he's a supporter, he may be doing more harm than he realizes...