Now’s the Time to Say Something

For over a year I've had the Nada Surf protest track “Song for Congress” in constant rotation. Hell, it was my most-played 2019 Spotify record—probably will be for 2020, too. Listen to it. Its earnestness is a clarion call, but the track’s central plea—“now’s the time to do something; now’s the time to say something”—is eminently pertinent right now.
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There are no excuses for doing nothing—especially if, as a person of privilege, the only thing you have to lose this election cycle is the opportunity for finally having a president who actually reads books. For others, the stakes are existential.
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So first things first—in that the spirit of this post’s call to action, make sure you’re registered to vote. Right now. No excuses. Go! Vote.gov.
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Anyways, listen: I’m a 100% WANNABE letterer and type designer. I’m okay with that. I don’t have the patience or Bézier curve wizardry to do the real thing, but respect the hell out of those who do. That said, it’s a fun exercise in design restraint and limits. I figure I’m recreationally channeling the wherewithal of the vernacular typographer who needs to paint up some utilitarian sign. Some people do sudoku (I’m definitely too dumb for that) or go hiking for fun (I’m too afraid of mountain lions)—I try to draw dumb letters to decompress. To each their own.
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With some graph vellum, a ruler, sturdy mechanical pencil, a homegrown 25mm line template, and an American heart hoping for some political decency, I tried my best to wrangle some letter shapes. Took some trial and error to get the proper width for some letterforms, but that’s the fun of it.
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REGISTER TO VOTE!