With the Republican National Convention taking place in Cleveland, designers of the 2016 logo incorporated both the party’s elephant logo and the city’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In doing so, however, they may have adapted the famed bird-on-a-guitar artwork that typified the famed 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair.
When the promoters of Woodstock noticed the similarities, they had a message for the RNC:
As your convention logo is strikingly reminiscent of our world-famous logo from the 1969 Woodstock Festival; why don’t you consider incorporating some of our Woodstock values into the RNC platform?
Michael Lang, the co-founder of Woodstock Ventures, said, “Since Woodstock stands for world community, Woodstock does not endorse building walls between nations. Woodstock stands for equal rights; so we do not endorse prejudice or discrimination. Woodstock stands for equal opportunity for all of us; so we do not support tilting the playing field to favor a privileged few. If these principles, which Woodstock does not endorse, turn out to be the principles that make up the GOP platform, then our logo designs would be the only thing we have in common.”
Obviously the values of the GOP and Woodstock are going to be drastically different. It is interesting that the two logos bear such a resemblance:
Lang added, “For those of you who are part of a global Woodstock “nation”, for those of you who attended the first Woodstock Festival, or any of our subsequent festivals, this convention is an opportunity to remind your party of what the authentic Woodstock logo stands for. If you’re going to evoke our logo, please also evoke our values and support the changes in society that Woodstock has energized over the years. We have more in common than what sometimes seems to be driving us apart. Do your best to make sure the RNC is moving toward a better world for all.”
What do you think? Are the logos similar enough to make a difference?