Unifying the 2008 Obama Campaign Message & the 2015 Rainbow White House Logo

A derivative of the 2015 six-color Obama White House Logo created in recognition of the illumination of the White House following the seminal Supreme Court ruling.

Rainbow WHITE HOUSE Logo

In celebration of the moment when the Obama White House illuminated the north portico in six rainbow colors (see the time-lapse video here), the White House created a simplified version of the standard White House logo, and bifurcated the north portico facade into six sections, one for each of the colors the actual White House was lit up in on the evening of June 26th, 2015. You can view that original design here.

CHANGE

WE CAN BELIEVE IN

I later realized that "CHANGE" contained precisely six letters, creating an opportunity for a visual connection between the original "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN" 2008 Primary Campaign visual & tagline and the symbolic moment embodied in the 2015 lighting of the Obama White House.

Real Change

To me, this visual unification perfectly messages the significance of the moment. Real change for millions of LGBTQ+ persons across the country from the ruling, with the White House affirming the Supreme Court's enfranchisement, via both a symbolic gesture & a multitude of policy changes before + after the ruling by the administration.

Moment of Inspiration, June 26th, 2015

Typically, the US Secret Service never permits anyone, save for individual select pass & credential holders, to access the north portico (the side of the White House displayed here), in the evenings when the residence is occupied.

But on the evening of June 26th in 2015, after the seminal Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges, when the White House was illuminated in six rainbow colors to celebrate the ruling, a handful of White House staffers, including myself, were permitted onto the North Portico driveway to view the colors up close.

That privilege, to be able to experience the vista so close, was one of the most moving experiences of my seven-year tenure at the White House. I vividly remember face-timing family & friends, some of whom were directly impacted by the ruling, with the rainbow colors projecting their government's pride in their right to life, liberty, & happiness. Prior to the 2015 ruling, in 2013, I was on the Supreme Court front steps with John Lewis when the United States v. Windsor decision was announced, so I had been anticipating & hoping for the decision that the court released in Obergefell v. Hodges for quite some time.

You can view a time-lapse of the illumination of the White House in rainbow colors here: https://youtu.be/Pk8GJR3FRFY

The Original 2015 Obama White House Rainbow logo (source file for one constituent part of my design), which can be found here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:6.26.15_rainbow_white_house_avatar.svg, created by the White House, re-shared, slightly re-sized by Wikipedia user Mliu92 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mliu92 & licensed to remix under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Original "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN" 2008 Barack Obama Campaign asset, acquired from Wikipedia. Original Barack Obama Change campaign logo Source: http://store.barackobama.com/product_p/mg29295.htm