What’s more ironic than a contingent of milquetoast post-partisans coalescing around–as Jesse Walker labeled it–“mindless bipartisanship”? Answer: Stealing the design for said group from the Disillusionment Party! From the New York Observer:
Brooklyn-based artist Thomas Porostocky’s friends and fans have been tipping off NY media that his art has been used without permission by the bi-partisan political group No Labels.
Porostocky designed star-spangled giraffes, butterflies and jellyfish for the disillusionment group More Party Animals in 2005. The art was later featured in the book Dissent by Design.
No Labels removed the design from their (its?) website late last night, but that didn’t stop their designer Dave Warren from mouthing off to the New York Times:
Dave Warren, a 30-year veteran of Madison Avenue, said that he came up with the concept completely independently. Mr. Warren said that he decided to riff on the donkey and elephant using clip-art animal shapes that are available free of charge or copyright.
“Conceptually, what I was trying to figure out was how to get away from the elephant and how to get away from the donkey,” Mr. Warren said. He said of Mr. Porostocky, “I’m sure his thought process was similar.”
Mr. Warren, who among other things did groundbreaking work for Absolut vodka, bristled at the suggestion that he had stolen the design.
“I do my own thinking, man,” he said. “Feel free to come to one of my classes at Parsons.”
He added: “I have a long and storied history on Madison Avenue. I’m not stupid enough to steal anybody’s work; I have too much faith to come up with my own ideas.”
As for Mr. Porostocky, Mr. Warren said, “Tell the other guy to Google my name.”
When I Googled Warren’s name, I got this headline: “New Political Group’s Logo Called Copy”
*Hat tip to Treacher for the headline. I’ll be running this joint until The Six Million Dollar Man is done with his repairs.