Words to Win By

Presidential campaigns emerge in state fairs, stump speeches, and selfie lines; but when the crowds disperse and after ballots are cast, movements live on in posters, logos, slogans, and accessories. From Hillary pins to Warren Harding's “Return to Normalcy” banners, from buttons emblazoned with Dwight Eisenhower's trademark “I Like Ike” to Shepard Fairey's iconic “HOPE” poster for Barack Obama, and highly thought-out promotions for Biden and the rest of the 2020 presidential candidates, campaign materials serve as portals into the complex nature of American politics, values, and emotion.

This collection of visual messaging, brimming with five hundred punchy color images from United States presidential campaigns from the turn of the twentieth century to today, contains the bold graphics, quippy one-liners, and cutting-edge designs that shaped the way America viewed its would-be leaders and revealed the way its would-be leaders viewed America in return. Presidential candidates might range from policy wonks to moral champions to experienced leaders, but they all rely on expert branding to convey their unique platforms to the public.

In the fast-moving age of Twitter and Facebook, this tangible display of effective—and regrettable—American artifacts is destined to delight political junkies and design aficionados of all stripes.

Paperback

416 Pages