Every four years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the world attentively focuses its collective attention on America’s presidential election. There is no civic ritual on this planet watched more than when the United States decides her new top executive as the occupant of the Oval Office has consequences far beyond the purple mountain majesties and fruited plains.
Suffice to say, this year, especially, the stakes are pretty freaking high.
The fifty-ninth iteration comes in a divisive and trying time in the US. The election is happening as the economic recovery that occurred post-Great Recession has been wiped away due to the pandemic, which, as of this writing, has taken the lives of over 230,000 Americans. Despite the ugly, professional wrestling vibe of contemporary political discourse, the ideals that define Americans are more resilient and mightier than the divisive politics of the moment, and they also serve as the inspiration for Milton Glaser’s final project, “We Win Together.”
The highly acclaimed designer, perhaps best known for the “I ? NY” logo, passed away earlier this summer. But a collective of designers picked up the project, displaying the wordmark all across the country, on billboards, live murals, and even across several states as crop art.
The wordmark is comprised of distinct typefaces and stripes of varying color and weight. The elements are unique, yet together they work, serving as a reminder that when Americans connect on commonalities, they can build a bridge over disagreements, and, in that way, we make one another stronger.
The collective describes the project on its website as a desire to bring people together, a sentiment sorely needed now, especially now. “Together, we are massive, joyful, bold, offbeat, wonderful, and genuine,” their mission statement reads. “Together, our differences collide, and mix, and unite. Together, we are better.”
