frgdr.com » Sightings of My Hebrew Obama Posters

Oh No You Di-int! – Berlitz Language School Rips Off My Obama Graphics

Shahar Golan — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:47:26 +0000

Trying to cash in on Obama’s cachet, a new print ad for the Israeli branch of Berlitz was just released – and it is litigiously similar to the ad I designed back in July 2008. Let’s compare:


Copywriter: Shahar Golan	Advertising Agency: Grey, Tel-Aviv, Israel Executive Creative Director: Yonatan Stirin Creative Director: Moti Rubinstein Copywriter: Uri Shoham Art Director: Karin Gross Account Manager: Dani Brande Account Supervisor: Noa Heinemann Account Executive: Mor Gluska

Here are a few relevant comments from the I Believe in Advertising blog:

ahoovi said on January 22, 2009 @ 10:55 am:

another great *copy* from the adler/grey/copyhouse…
it was actually used at the obama campaign -
in shirts:
http://frgdr.com/blog/2008/10/06/hebrew-obama-merchandize-spotted-hampshire/
and in posters:
http://frgdr.com/blog/2008/07/22/obama-hebrew-poster-oui-ken/

apparently all you need to be an absolutely brilliant copywriter is to use google…

uri said on January 22, 2009 @ 2:28 pm:

Dear ahoovi,

As the copywriter of this ad, I can assure you that I thought about the idea by myself. I didn’t use Google, as you did. Further more, the creative was to use the phrase in the right context.

The question is that- can we believe that two human minds might think about the same idea?

Yes we… you know what? its not important if you believe me or not.
Keep on the Google work.

Uri & Karin

Rich said on January 22, 2009 @ 4:28 pm:

Ouch. Copycat spoted.

Obama Sworn In, In Jerusalem They Also Cheered L’Chaim

Shahar Golan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:31:05 +0000

There is a new leader of the free world, and new additions to my Sightings-of-the-Hebrew-Obama-Posters-I-Designed scrapbook. This is today’s front page of ynet.co.il, the online edition of Israel’s leading newspaper:

You can check out the short video (in Hebrew) here.

Following is an Associated Press photo, as it appeared in the Los Angeles Times website:

Democrats Abroad-Israel posted loads of photos from the inaugural event in Jerusalem – in many of them my poster is lurking, like so:

And last, this is my Hebrew Obama poster as it briefly appeared on one of my favorite shows, The Colbert Report, on its Un-American News segment – President Obama Edition:

The yellow circle was added by me.

will.i.am and I Come Full Circle Courtesy of Obama

Shahar Golan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:02:54 +0000

Avid readers of my blog know that during the 2008 US elections I was inspired by will.i.am‘s Yes We Can video, so much so that I decided to do my part and create a few pro-Obama designs in Hebrew and make them available for download for free. Well, after Obama won, the Black Eyed Peas’ frontman released a new song called It’s A New Day, which features loads of still shots from the night Obama won -- and guess whose banner is shown (for less than a second) within these photos?
That’s right, the Associated Press photo that was featured on HuffPo’s front page has made its way into this video. It seems my ‘electing Obama’ adventures started with will.i.am and ended with will.i.am:

Now, I knew everyone gets to be famous for 15 minutes, I just did not realize in the 21st century it means you get a million people’s attention for half a second. Here’s the video, make sure not to blink at 38 seconds:

will.i.am -- It’s a New Day -- lyrics

Buy this MP3 track.

I went to sleep last night tired from the fight
I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow all my life yeah
I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ brand new
‘cos the dreams that I’ve been dreamin’ have finally came true

It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day

It’s been a long time comin’
Up the mountain kept runnin’
Songs of freedom kept hummin’
Channelin’ Harriet Tubman,
Kennedy, Lincoln, and King
We gotta manifest that dream
It feels like we’re swimmin’ up stream
It feels like I’m stuck in between
A rock and a hard place
We’ve been through the heart-aches
And lived through the darkest days
If you and I made it this far well then hey!
We can make it all the way
And they said no we can’t
And we said yes we can
Remember it’s you and me, together

I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ alright
I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow all my life
Yo I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ brand new
‘cos the dreams that I’ve been dreamin’ have finally came true

It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day

It’s been a long time waitin’
Waitin’ for this moment
It’s been a long time prayin’
Prayin’ for this moment
We’ve hoped for this moment
And now that we own it
For life I’m ‘a hold it
And I won’t let it go

This is for our fathers
Our brothers our friends
Who fought for freedom
Our sisters our mothers
Who died for us to be in this moment
Stop and cherish this moment
Stop and cherish this time

It’s time for unity
For us and we
That’s you and me, together

I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ brand new
‘Cos the dreams that I’ve been dreamin’ finally came true
Yo I woke up this mornin’ feelin’ alright
‘cos we weren’t fightin’ for nothin’
And the soldiers weren’t fightin’ for nothin’
No Martin wasn’t dreamin’ for nothin’
And Lincoln didn’t change it for nothin’
And children weren’t cryin’ for nothin’

It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day
It’s a new day

President Barack Hussein Obama II

Shahar Golan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:19:47 +0000

It is quite remarkable how something as trivial as a person’s middle name can be used as a source of shame one day, and as a source of pride the next day. Many people much smarter than me will write about the day in history when the citizens of the US grew up, and for the first time in a long time chose the most qualified person for the highest office in the land.

As someone who is not a US citizen and could not vote in the elections, I can still say I have done my part, however small, and proudly announce that I helped elect Barack Obama. Like millions of others, I, too, was inspired by the man and the campaign he ran. The Hebrew graphics I designed were viewed thousands of times and the files I made available were downloaded hundreds and hundreds of times.

Here’s today’s front page of the Huffington Post:

Back in February 2008, my original post was first called “We Need a Mentch in the White House”. One year later, in January 2009, I would be able to proudly proclaim: We Have a Mentch in the White House!

Thanks to Tony Jassen, an Obama supporter from Jerusalem, who brought the photo to my attention:

Shahar -

Once again I can’t say thank you enough for the graphic and letting us use it.
As you can see, we have made a difference. [...]
[The photo] was taken at Mike’s Place Jerusalem at an election watch party sponsored by Democrats Abroad – Israel and attended by us, Israelis for Obama, among others. There were about 50 or so people there all night, mostly college students, watching the results. The picture was taken, if I am not mistaken, among celebrations of the first moments when the final results came in.

Tony

Hebrew Obama Merchandize Spotted in New Hampshire

Shahar Golan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:27:46 +0000

I started designing Hebrew pro-Obama graphics eight months ago in response to the Rovian smear campaign that was peaking at the time. I was appalled by the Newspeak that started gaining more and more strength, even to the point of bringing down prominent democrats with ‘as far as I know’ statements, changing discussions about ‘the war’ to discussions about ‘the surge’, pushing the ol’ familiar dichotomy of ‘one of us’ versus ‘one of them’.

Now, each day scores of people visit my Obama posts, usually because Google in its infinite wisdom has ranked them high in the image search results, but since I never expected my symbolic protest to go beyond its virtual existence, I am amazed to get from time to time evidence of my design crossing to the real world. Yesterday I got an email from an Obama supporter in Massachusetts named Brian, saying:

Shahar,

Attached are two photos of me campaigning for Obama in New Hampshire in a Yes Oui Ken shirt. A group of friends all went to New Hampshire together, and we went from house to house talking to people about the need for a change. We had many good conversations. […] Afterwards I wore the shirt to a dinner with a group of Rabbis and Jewish friends, and they all loved the design. […]

L’shalom
Brian

If you want a shirt like Brian’s, or want to show your Obama pride in a button, just download the graphics, and use CafePress, Zazzle, or similar online printing services – or go green and visit your local print shop:

News Wires Cover Obama’s Israel Visit …And My Hebrew Poster

Shahar Golan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:53:48 +0000

Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.
– - Ecclesiastes 11:1

While I knew that the Hebrew Obama poster I designed has been viewed thousands of times, I could not tell if the high resolution files I made available were ever printed and used in a rally. Until yesterday:

All the major news wires covering Barack Obama’s Israeli visit, including The New York Times and The Associated Press – all mentioned a group of Israeli supporters holding a ‘Change We Can Believe In’ Hebrew banner. This sounded really nice, but when I started seeing photos taken by the various wires, I got really excited. A couple of hours later, I got an email from a group called Israelis for Obama, updating me on their usage of my graphics. They downloaded the design off my website and printed out loads of flyers and one big banner. Then they followed Obama’s visit route, showing support all over Jerusalem.

Here are a few photos I found:


	A supporter of US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) stands outside his hotel in Jerusalem July 22, 2008.
	REUTERS/Jim Young

Supporters of US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hold a banner reading in Hebrew ‘change in which we can believe’ as they gather in front of Israeli President Shimon Peres’ residence where Obama and Peres are meeting on July 23, 2008 in Jerusalem. Obama started his visit to Israel and the West Bank during which he will meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images


	Road Blog: Israel, the Day in Pictures – July 23, 2008
	Obama for America Campaign Headquarters

Supporters of U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) hold a banner printed with his name in Hebrew as they wait for his arrival at the Western wall in Jerusalem July 23, 2008.

REUTERS/Baz Ratner

frgdr.com » Sightings of My Hebrew Obama Posters

Oh No You Di-int! – Berlitz Language School Rips Off My Obama Graphics

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