The Eye

Hillary Clinton Recruited 45 Designers From Across the Country to Create Her Campaign Buttons

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Campaign buttons designed by Joe Marianek and Dinah Fried of New York City–based agency Small Stuff (left) and by Nicole Jacek and Noreen Morioka of NJ(L.A.), a global design consultancy based in Venice, California (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project

Campaign buttons have been around since supporters wore George Washington’s initials on their lapels. Abraham Lincoln was the first presidential candidate to use his image as a marketing tool on pins in 1860. William McKinley was the first to mass-produce these wearable tokens of political allegiance in 1896.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton has recruited dozens of designers for the Forty-Five Pin Project, a series of 1- and 3-inch pins, made in the U.S. by union labor, in support of America’s first female major party nominee for president.

Buttons from veteran publication designer Roger Black (left) and Marianna Fierro, Julia Zeltser, and Deroy Peraza of Hyperakt (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project
Button designs from Seattle-based graphic designer Robynne Raye (left) and Oklahoma-based brand designer and illustrator Scott Allen Hill (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project
Designs by Wendy Clark (left) and designers, educators, and authors Jenn and Ken Visocky O’Grady (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project

“Campaign buttons tell the story of a campaign and a candidate,” reads a project description on Clinton’s website. “To help tell Hillary’s story, we invited 45 artists and graphic designers to create button designs that embody why they support Hillary.”

Campaign button designs from Brooklyn-based Willy Wong (left) and Pentagram partner Michael Bierut (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project
Designs from Debbie Millman (left) and Pentagram partner Paula Scher (right).

The Forty-Five Pin Project

The 45 individually designed pins represent a diverse range of styles by leading American designers, including Pentagram partners Paula Scher and Michael Bierut (who designed Hillary’s campaign logo) and type designer Tobias Frere-Jones. They are available to purchase for $5 each, or supporters can buy a full set of 45 pins for $100.