On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris was an interesting political opponent. On Thursday night, ensconced in the liberal bubblewrap of Chicago’s United Center, he felt a lot like the next President. The Revolution was a masterpiece not just of political advertising, but of advertising in general. The Democratic Party has found a way to harness the almost intangible momentum that turns a good candidate into a winner.
The DNC represents the best change for the Democratic Party, accelerating the unexpected momentum of Kamala Harris’s announcement to run for President on a potential election path.
But what now sounds like a foregone conclusion was actually the product’s careful maintenance work. Solid suits of logos and color palettes (designed for Biden eight months ago) are a carefully divided hand that moves from the old guard to the new; recorded cameos, and a prominently planted theme of happiness. All of these factors have combined to form a Democratic Party that feels newly strengthened (if divided on some issues)—as if it has finally hit its stride after more than a decade of stumbling.
Setting the scene
DNC officials began resetting the stage in December 2023, when organizers enlisted Wide Eye (the same company behind Biden’s and Harris’ presidential logo) to create a website and a 60-page product plan for the 2024 DNC.
“When we did the identity, Joe Biden was the nominee,” said Wide Eye founder and creative director Ben Ostrower. “So in a nutshell, this is Joe Biden’s rally.”
As we’ve previously reported, the DNC brand has lifted things directly from the Biden brand. That included the typeface Decimal, which was gently reworked to stick the letters “DNC” vertically rather than horizontally. That insight wasn’t meant to be a surprise in a political world focused on increasingly wordy, social media. It was meant to celebrate the essence of the Chicago skyline, the city that gave birth to the skyscraper. Strong, straightforward typography also served as the backdrop during many launches, announcing “Choose Safety” or “The Right Future” in Tungsten Condensed.
The logo also featured the three wavy stripes of Biden’s American flag, which the group called “bacon.” The inclusion of the American flag was strategic in both cases, not just because we live in America, but because Wide Eye views the flag itself as something shared by Republicans. Ostrower wanted Democrats to own it as “new patriotism.”
In terms of color, red, white, and blue were the obvious defaults. Wide Eye suggested expanding the palette, especially with one concept involving orange. But that color progression was considered the most unusual at the convention—an event that comes once every four years, and is largely rooted in tradition and familiarity.
“It’s like designing the Oscars. It’s one of those things where it’s part of American life, it has to look like people expect it to look and feel like they’re in a situation,” Ostrower said. “You can’t overuse it. You can’t skip. You can’t show off too much…it has to look like it’s there.”
While playing with different shades of blue and red, Wide Eye managed to bring one important change to the culture: a new color they call “blue, almost black.” (And indeed, to the eye of the flesh, as it appeared on the screen behind Al Shartpon on the fourth night, it reads like true darkness.)
Black is the epitome of sophistication, attending high-end design gatherings and brand campaigns—the opposite of Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt off on stage. But in practice, this near-black effect increased the contrast of everything inside the United Center, providing a way to heighten the drama and saturation of color at every turn.
Reclassifying republicans from “surprising” to “ridiculous”
After the failed attempt on Trump’s life, the once honest president experienced a new wave of legitimacy. Trump has never looked as presidential as he did after the bullet grazed his ear. In July, all hope seemed lost for the Democrats who could not reverse the inertia of Donald Trump and JD Vance.
That was, until Biden announced he was dropping out of the race and endorsed Harris. Harris quickly received endorsements from all major factions of the Democratic Party. The long-warring party of Democrats was suddenly united. And of course, his VP-elect made the first blow to the opposition. Tim Walz has breathed fresh air into the Democratic field by calling Republicans “weird.” In fact, it was a few months that most of America heard for the first time after Harris became VP.
At the DNC, it would be a smart move for the Democrats to just push the time they won over and over again, and stick it in our heads. But what they did instead was something subtle. Democrats are using money from the DNC to change the Republicans’ frame as “reckless” to “absurd.” Although they never even said a word, they didn’t need to.
We heard the Trump team’s stunning, hard-hitting derision from Michelle Obama and Barack Obama on Tuesday restored the hope few Democrats have had since 2008. Michelle’s speech reinforced themes that we will hear again and again. He used “love” and “neighbor” to remind us that the anger that is always present on the part of people may be the wrong way to live.
Instead of framing Trump as the ultimate evil (as he was in 2020), the Obamas often laughed at his power. They gave Darth Vader the Space Balls treatment.
Michelle called Trump’s message “the same old trick,” while laughing “who’s going to tell him that the job he wants right now is one of those Black jobs?” He may have burned his party members even harder, when he dismissed concerned liberals as Goldilocks, recasting the protesters during the Gaza massacre as zealots who would be too holy to vote for anyone, to the detriment of all.
Barack pandered to Trump like a whiny child on the golden escalator, before, in an unimaginable way, he turned Trump’s obsession with crowd size into a dick joke. The next day, Walz would laugh and say, “You’ve got to give it to him, he’s a good player,” as if to catch Trump off guard before the former president ran back onto the football field.
But one of the most chilling moves is the way Democrats have rebranded Project 2025 from something terrifying to almost comically evil. Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, first released a 900-page manifesto on Monday, contained in an oversized coffee table book. As a perfect blog post, he said, “They went on to write down all the extreme things that Donald Trump wants to do in the next four years. We learned it.”
On Wednesday, when longtime SNL cast member Kenan Thompson took the stage with a book, the absurdity quickly turned into a full-on Carrot Top gag. Thompson, who has admitted that many of his jokes are born from his face (which often sits on the edge of cracking), flipped through a huge book that “could kill a small animal, and a democracy,” while breaking bad. news to voters in personal interviews on stage: oh, school teacher, the Ministry of Education is about to be abolished!
“Just remember, everything we just talked about is absolutely true. It’s in this book,” said Thompson as he finished the drawing. “You can prevent that from happening by electing Kamala Harris as president of the United States.
On Thursday, Harris took a narrative turn toward the ridiculous when he discussed how many conservatives under Trump want to mandate the reporting of miscarriages and abortions. “Simply put, they’re crazy,” he said.
Burning joy
Back in 2008, Barack Obama gave the American people “hope.” It’s been a hard feeling to match since then. “The Obamas make a complete mockery of the word politics in one way or another; in the sense that they’re setting an unattainable bar,” Ostrower noted. Vulture writer Nate Jones took the week to remind us of the cultural implications of that hope: Glee, Hamiltonand a broader trend he calls Obamacore.
But perhaps the most important task at the DNC was giving Harris a unique message of her own — and showing that throughout the event’s production. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, was the first to call her a “happy hero.” Someone who will be tough but bring a hopeful perspective to counter the doom and gloom narrative of the Republicans. “Joy” was mentioned repeatedly by speakers on stage at the DNC.
There was no happier ticket in Chicago than the DNC this week. Flash cowboy hats, cheeseheads, and flashy bracelets set the vibe for a political rally, sporting event, and concert. DJs would even play between the speakers to keep the atmosphere going.
The energy started when Harris, surprisingly, took the stage Monday to wake up the United Center and honor President Biden. It was followed by Tuesday’s call, which would have been a tough case to nominate Harris, but was a celebration of regional and country music. With the playlist since uploaded to Spotify, the event became a party celebrating the music that is often born in each state, featuring Lil’ Jon standing with Georgia singing “Turn Out for What.”
Lil’ Jon was one of the many unexpected cameos that poured in during the week, including Spike Lee (DNC convention officials say they didn’t even know Lee would show up), Oprah Winfrey, and Stephen Curry—even if the rumors are over. The big one with Beyoncé was just a rumor.
The whole show was such a success that, as Harris finally took the stage on Thursday night, he spoke in a very different mood than on Monday. Trump, who has gone into his shell as president, was easy prey for Harris’ last blows.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is a neutral man, but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are dire,” he said.
Towards the end of his speech, Harris returned to the theme of hope, and rediscovered the patriotism of the Democratic Party.
“It is our turn now to do what the generations before us have done. We are guided by hope and faith, to fight for the country we love, to fight for the values we love, and to uphold the incredible responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege in the world. The privilege and pride of being an American,” he said.
If the DNC has shown anything, it’s that it’s never too late to change the name. Now, the Democrats just need to prove, with more than two months from the election and the heat, it wasn’t too late, either.
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