Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Tax the Rich’ tote shows why campaigns are using repetitive, stacked typography
To promote Senator Elizabeth Warren’s call to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy, her campaign sells “Tax the Rich” merch that repeats the phrase in stacked text across totes, T-shirts, and posters. It’s styled liked a plastic “Thank You” bag, with just one line of text filled in. The rest of the text is outlined. At the bottom it says “Have a nice day!” In a tutorial for how to make stacked, wavy text, Kettl, a German design software provider, said earlier this year that the style is “making a big comeback” thanks in part to its retro-vintage look. A ban made single-use plastic bags history in New York state, which could say something about a newfound nostalgia for repeating “Thank You”-inspired graphics. Warren’s “Tax the Rich” line was first released in 2022, but its style has since appeared in other campaigns too. [Image: courtesy of the author] The words “Madam President” repeated six times and arranged to wave like a flag appear on a $32 hat, $32 tee, and $6 two-pack of stickers that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is selling. There’s a $32 “Pro Choice Voter” tee being sold by Ruben Gallego, the Democratic congressman from Arizona running for U.S. Senate. And Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, makes a Brady Bunch reference with her $55 “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” crewneck, $25 tee, and $20 pizza cutter. [Image: courtesy of the author] Repetitive, stacked type appears in ads as well. At a rally last month in Michigan, former President Donald Trump said if elected, his administration would mandate insurance companies pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment. To emphasize the point, in a new campaign ad, the phrase “All Costs Covered for IVF” is stacked 17 times. [Image: courtesy of the author] Like Harris sharing that she’s a gun owner, Trump’s remarks were aimed at voters who might have concerns about his stance on an issue viewed by some as partisan. Senate Republicans voted against IVF protections twice in four months, but Trump supports IVF treatment, and his campaign is eager to tell you, spelling it out repeatedly on-screen so you’ll get the message even on mute. [Image: courtesy of the author] Stacked repeating text shows up as well in “Trump Tax,” a Harris campaign ad about the nickname she’s given to Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on foreign goods that economists say would raise prices and burden low- and middle-income consumers. Using audio from Harris’s August speech in North Carolina where she rolled out her economic policies, the ad says Trump would create “what is, in effect, a national sales tax.” The spot opens with the phrase “Trump Tax” flashing on the screen. It’s a fun and engaging design style, but the stacked, repetitive-text approach also has a more tangible benefit. Because it takes up more space and repeats the same lines over and over again, it’s the visual equivalent of a candidate repeating a line multiple times in a speech—a graphic way to emphasize their point.
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To promote Senator Elizabeth Warren’s call to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy, her campaign sells “Tax the Rich” merch that repeats the phrase in stacked text across totes, T-shirts, and posters. It’s styled liked a plastic “Thank You” bag, with just one line of text filled in. The rest of the text is outlined. At the bottom it says “Have a nice day!”
In a tutorial for how to make stacked, wavy text, Kettl, a German design software provider, said earlier this year that the style is “making a big comeback” thanks in part to its retro-vintage look. A ban made single-use plastic bags history in New York state, which could say something about a newfound nostalgia for repeating “Thank You”-inspired graphics. Warren’s “Tax the Rich” line was first released in 2022, but its style has since appeared in other campaigns too.
The words “Madam President” repeated six times and arranged to wave like a flag appear on a $32 hat, $32 tee, and $6 two-pack of stickers that Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is selling. There’s a $32 “Pro Choice Voter” tee being sold by Ruben Gallego, the Democratic congressman from Arizona running for U.S. Senate. And Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, makes a Brady Bunch reference with her $55 “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” crewneck, $25 tee, and $20 pizza cutter.
Repetitive, stacked type appears in ads as well. At a rally last month in Michigan, former President Donald Trump said if elected, his administration would mandate insurance companies pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment. To emphasize the point, in a new campaign ad, the phrase “All Costs Covered for IVF” is stacked 17 times.
Like Harris sharing that she’s a gun owner, Trump’s remarks were aimed at voters who might have concerns about his stance on an issue viewed by some as partisan. Senate Republicans voted against IVF protections twice in four months, but Trump supports IVF treatment, and his campaign is eager to tell you, spelling it out repeatedly on-screen so you’ll get the message even on mute.
Stacked repeating text shows up as well in “Trump Tax,” a Harris campaign ad about the nickname she’s given to Trump’s proposed 10% tariff on foreign goods that economists say would raise prices and burden low- and middle-income consumers. Using audio from Harris’s August speech in North Carolina where she rolled out her economic policies, the ad says Trump would create “what is, in effect, a national sales tax.” The spot opens with the phrase “Trump Tax” flashing on the screen.
It’s a fun and engaging design style, but the stacked, repetitive-text approach also has a more tangible benefit. Because it takes up more space and repeats the same lines over and over again, it’s the visual equivalent of a candidate repeating a line multiple times in a speech—a graphic way to emphasize their point.
