Words to Win By

From “All the Way with LBJ” to red MAGA hats, famous and infamous slogans, logos, signage, and accessories are compiled in a striking visual encyclopedia covering presidential elections from 1900 to 2024.

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 Clinton's “I’m With Her” 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 Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” slogan, campaign materials and supporter-made paraphernalia serve as portals into the complex nature of American politics, values, and emotions.

This collection of visual messaging, brimming with over 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 social media, this tangible display of effective—and regrettable—American artifacts is destined to delight political junkies and design aficionados of all stripes.