Ben Doessel & James Lee
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Ugly Gerry, 2019
Inspired to activism by a Supreme Court’s ruling about political districting, Ben Doessel and James Lee created a font that addressed the inequity behind the practice of “gerrymandering” in congressional districts. Each of the 26 letters of the alphabet represents a political pin on the map. (For example, the letter “U” symbolizes Illinois’ 4th District.) The resulting odd shapes that are forced into letter forms are the perfect visualization of an illogical practice designed to ensure continued voter disenfranchisement.
The font is available to download for free on their website, www.uglygerry.com, which serves as well as a place for visitors to craft their own message to politicians using the font and tweet it. The font had its Hollywood moment when it was featured as a question on Jeopardy earlier this year.
Doessel is a copywriter and James Lee is a Senior Art Director, both based in Chicago, Illinois.
https://www.behance.net/jamesleeidea
Images courtesy of Ben Doessel & James Lee
