Official Inauguration Poster Released By Obama Team: Exclusive

The Barack Obama Inaugural Committee is releasing an official inauguration poster playing off past themes and marking the history of January 20th in a uniquely Obama fashion.

Designed by famed street artist Shepard Fairey, the print, created especially for the 2009 Inauguration, boldly declares "BE THE CHANGE."

It is the next step in the branding of the presidency -- a development that is not unique to Obama but one that he has used better than any other politician in recent memory.

Fairey's initial design -- a guerrilla style, dark-colored portrait of the then-candidate -- proved to be a political and cultural phenomenon during the campaign. The current edition plays heavily off those themes and it seems likely to be a major symbol during the inauguration festivities. The image will be available on buttons, lapel pins, stickers and t-shirts.

The poster will officially be released tomorrow on the Inaugural Committee's online store.

Comments

[johnnynyc]

Personally "All your ship now belong to us." would work for me.

[americanalien]

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

DO YOUR THING PRESIDENT OBAMA

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
♥WE LOVE YOU ♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[johnnynyc]

Yeah, yeah, I know.

Be the arrow.

Be the spoon.

I guess I'm just not into the cult of personality.

[drock973]

More new Be the Change posters:

http://i43.tinypic.com/a1j02c.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/nq5vro.jpg

[kay360]

I find it interesting that this poster arouses the ire of huffposters who, in general, are very supportive of Obama

Hmmmm...

Maybe liberals like change when they think it is simply the President's job to do it. Easy to sit back and blame George. Now that the message is you are the change or you're the leaders you've been looking for, we gripe about a poster being "communist," "angelic," "reminiscent of Ghandi" and the need to "calm down".

Funny, I thought the whole point of this election is that we would have a government that would encourage us to make our country better than it has been recently. Isn't one of the reasons why we hated Bush was because he was so duplicitous, secretive, manipulative and dismissive of the public will.

Obama's using the work of a street artist (another self-made person) to remind us that we accomplished something people thought highly unlikely and that if we are to continue to do more than we believed possible, we must "Be the Change".

I think it's brilliant. The colors, the retro movement look, and the twist on the dominant theme of the campaign cover all the bases in an aesthetically pleasing yet challenging and edgy way. Love it.

But then again, I plan on stepping up my flow, so this resonates with me. Haters are simply lazy and don't want to be reminded.

[vtlt8]

Is he party chairman in China too?

[americanalien]

No he is America's sweetheart. I see why you are jealous.

[sasson]

Why do you say the above poster is jealous? The Democratic party that I signed up for believes in dissent. Only the Republicans and Sith have the "you're with us or against us" attitude.

[tlintx]

Does he think he is now Lenin or Marx? Too creepy!!

[Knowitall]

This evening has been surreal. Some of the comments on this post have been--bizarre. We're talking about a POSTER people. All of this talk about Communism, Stalinism, Hitler. Totalitarianism, Nazism. Ghandi, crooked politicians, theft, guns, military takeovers, fear, fear, fear etc. etc. etc. about a POSTER. When is the paranoia and fear going to stop? When did Americans become such whining pansies. We're not going to let ONE man subvert our consitution or our way of life. And Obama has no such intentions. He's an American and so are we. Grow up or go to a site where such fear and loathing is welcome. We want to celebrate here, not listen to fear and whining all the time.

[henning2000]

From the PIC2009.org website

Sorry, we do not have enough 'Shepard Fairey Poster' to fill your order. Please adjust the quantity and try again. Quantity Available: 0

[HappyIdiot2008]

As it should be. This moment in time is historical to most people! Some are too d.u.m.b. to realize it.

[johnnynyc]

Every moment in time is historical.

[henning2000]

FYI - The posters went on sale this evening and both the signed and unsigned posters are already sold out. 10,000 units in a matter of hours. Bad part is the HP said the posters were going on sale tomorrow. Got mine!!

[johnnynyc]

I'd better not get an email offering either for a donation.

[paulalex]

What time zone are you in?

It's tomorrow on the East Coast and FWIW I just purchased a numbered version.

If W hadn't scr ewed the economy so bad I could have purchased a signed version ;-)

[JohnGaltUSA]

I was expecting to see a cool poster...w­hat a disappointment.

There is only one word for that poster, "FUGLY".

[Knowitall]

Apparently it's a matter of taste. I heard it's already sold out.

[johnnynyc]

and selling on ebay.

[okmichael]

It's awesome, are you KIDDING?

[jemiltd]

I wish there had been a competition of fine artists. DC artist Michael Anthony Brown did a fantastic one and is going to do the rare thing of reproducing his work. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5BQ8MLQCzU&feature=channel_page

[TivoliEclipse]

Boring.

[paulalex]

Ditto, although good effort.

Where are the bold strokes, the patriotism, the power and the glory of the USA's new leader?

[jtj]

Defintely better. It seems rooted in American history, culture and tradition and captures the historical moment of the first african-american president. As much as the wording on the back looked great, i didn't think it was a good idea to put names of contributors on it. he is the president of the United states of America and not just those who financially supported the Barack Obama campaign.

[bcs16]

Our teenage son commented on the Obama poster during the election period. He said that it reminded him of a poster of Che Guevara that he had seen in Berkeley. The original poster was Jim Fitzpatrick's poster from 1968, which has come to symbolize change. I include several websites that reference Fitzpatrick's work. Any thoughts?

http://www.jimfitzpatrick.ie/update/che.html
http://www.thechestore.com/proddetail.php?prod=TP3
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7028598.stm

[Carnacamarna]

Oh, I thought the primary, election, and this poster all have Fitzy's "Che" feel to them. You can see the influence even if not direct.

[jtj]

I thnk what Che represents is not a great model for an American President. As much as we need change, here, in the United States of America, we do not need change through violence which Che represents. For that reason, I find the inaugraul poster a little unsettling.

[DC]

The graphics are stunning and timeless.

.Just as Any Warhol applied his talents to iconic personalities, (Mao, Kennedy, Monroe.) so did Fitzpatrick. The subject of Che is besides the point just as the information that your teenage son while at Berkley, etc. has nothing to do with anything as you attempt to make associations under the guise of soliciting opinions.

[TivoliEclipse]

Frankly, he's a pretty boy!

I can appreciate guerilla style art that specializes in print and graphic design, but is Fairey also responsible for the red, white, and blue angelicized image?

That image is iconography for the Age of Obama. It's bold and beautiful -- a slam dunk for art and graphic design. Bravo!

[johnnynyc]

right up there with Mao and Stalin posters I'd say.

[BeaglesRule]

"Be The Change"?

Great...no­w I've got an earworm of Chevy Chase, in Caddyshack: "Be the ball, Danny. Nuhnuhnuhn­uhnuhn....­"

[johnnynyc]

Yeah, new age psychobabble.

Be the arrow.

Be the spoon.

[TheHankMan]

How appropriate.

The "artist" that did the poster has a history of stealing other peoples ideas and art. He has had numerous lawsuits against him.

Just someone else corrupt associated with Obama..

Change you can believe in ....wow

[Ohsnap]

Dude...jus­t go buy yourself another gun and go pout in your double wide.

[evanembee]

thank you, Ohsnap. I really wish these conservative trolls would just shut the hell up for a while. They've had 8 years to mess up everything, and now that folks have finally notice, the rightwing just can't let go. Kinda pathetic, really.

[paulalex]

The lawsuits were more like arrests for postering in public places.

He's a street artist.

But why waste facts on you.

[MizK]

*yawn* Your droll rants cease to amuse us...be gone!!