Why does Obama think "President-Elect" is an office instead of just a transition period?

The Office of the President Elect is the name of the federal agency that manages the transition - not Obama's umed job title. It only exists during a transition, and it barely existed at all in 2000, because it only gets funding once the result of the election is known. The office was established in the sixties, and has had it's name on door plaques and stationery since at least the 1988 Bush transition. However, I can't recall ever seeing the name used on a podium, and I agree that graphics used make the whole thing look ridiculous - a little br plaque in Helvetica Bold would be much less open to accusations of hubris.