So I was sitting in the Indy office, minding my own business, when a box of pizza caught my eye. Lo and behold, the “Real California Cheese” logo was on the box…..and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen that rising sun over verdurous rolling plains before. (Nevermind that I grew up in California, where they (the man? the media?) threw that logo at us like an extra Pop-Tart they had opened but couldn’t finish).

It is rather interesting that a symbol many would recognize as representative of Hope, Change, etc., is actually drawing on the same principal elements of advertising that have been in use for a long time. The dawn over hilly land: reminiscent of “simpler times,” “hardworking folk,” and that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when “greeting a new day” (a day that doesn’t involve studying for a midterm). It’s funny, really, that a beacon of Change for America was formulated (intentionally or not) using some of the most basic tools for emotional appeal. It’s even funnier that the “Real California Cheese” logo was developed in 1984. Well, maybe it’s not funny, depending on whether you consider yourself a part of the Obama revolution or not. But, the material point still stands.

I didn’t include the updated Pepsi logo here because it explicitly draws on the popularity of the Obama logo (as opposed to demonstrating less conspicuous underlying patterns). Rather, I just wanted to point out that subconsciously, as much as we may desire this “new age” under President Obama’s leadership, we are still a collective populus that thinks very similarly. I could go on about whether this is good or bad, or actually not true at all and simply the rantings of a sleep-deprived Georgetown student, but I won’t. I’m not that invested in the “Real California Cheese” logo…and I should probably do all of the homework I neglected during the long weekend. Oy vey.

Thoughts? I’d love to hear them. Other similar logos? I’d love to see them. Procrastination? I’m there.