Tulsi Gabbard 2020 Branding
BRANDING
PRINT & DIGITAL DESIGN
In January 2019, an opportunity landed in my lap unlike any before it—branding a political candidate who was about to enter the presidential race. Until that moment, I had spent a decade refining brand identities for companies, but branding a person, especially one running for president, presented an entirely different challenge.
I had never heard of Tulsi Gabbard before. It was a time filled with hopes of what—or who—could replace Trump and bring a new vision for the country. Tulsi positioned herself as a leader who emphasized serving over leading, centering her campaign on love and aloha—not just as a greeting, but in its deeper Hawaiian meaning encompassing mutual respect, care, and connection. In early immersion sessions, she spoke about her life growing up in Hawaii in a mixed cultural background, her evolution as a person and a soldier, her political aspirations, and her dreams for a world without nuclear weapons, with a reduced military footprint, and a focus on addressing climate change.
Created at — Human
Tulsi spoke about aloha as a guiding force for her leadership—teaching us that the word wasn’t just a greeting, but a philosophy. One that, in its native Hawaiian meaning, speaks to interconnection, mutual responsibility, and the understanding that we are nature—which is why Hawaiian language doesn’t have a separate word for it.
I no longer support Tulsi Gabbard, but this project was a rare glimpse into how political identities are shaped. It was an opportunity to translate ideals into design, but also a lesson in how a brand—no matter how thoughtfully built—can only ever reflect the person behind it.
I no longer support Tulsi Gabbard, but this project was a rare glimpse into how political identities are shaped. It was an opportunity to translate ideals into design, but also a lesson in how a brand—no matter how thoughtfully built—can only ever reflect the person behind it.
We went through many rounds of exploration and discovery to land on the final identity design. I found that branding a person—especially a political figure—is a completely different challenge than designing an identity for a brand. Here are some of my favorite relics from the process.
