WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER by Paper Jam Press
15"x11" ($30)
We have to have words with you. The candid, unequivocal, life-affirming kind. The straight-up, no frills, ridiculously obvious but seriously under-recognized kind. The supportive, not saccharine kind (save that schmaltz for frying something). Paper Jam Press knows what we’re talking about: WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER.
This time of year, we’ve got togetherness on the mind. Sure, shopping and sugar highs are familiar side-dishes of the season, but we’d like to think the main course is community. Far flung friends and family catching flights so they can kick it collectively. Loved ones braving peak post office lines to send some affection in giftable form. We’ll level with you: these people improve our lives. They keep us sane, they support us, they set us straight, they tell us when our haircuts are heinous, they stop us from spending our rent money at a sample sale. We’re better together. And we’re scooping up today’s limited-edition so we don’t soon forget it (plus a couple extras for presents) ...
Our new Paper Jam Press piece was designed and printed by Arianna Orland, founder of the SF-based letterpress studio (and left-coast bestie of our own Jen Bekman). With over 20 years of exec-level creative experience at some of the country’s most prominent companies, Orland has worked in strategy, branding, product and more. She also co-founded In/Visible Talks, an insanely cool design conference in its second annual iteration this year. But it was her love of letterform and desire to get back to graphic design basics that lead her to launch Paper Jam Press in 2009.
Since then she’s stuck to sturdy, streamlined gothic wood type, black ink, white cotton paper, and bold, brief phrases that don’t fool around. Paper Jam Press pieces are pared down, unadorned, and striking in their carefully considered simplicity. That’s a big part of what makes them so mantra-worthy. Fun fact: WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER was printed using a typecase without enough T’s to be able to print the phrase all at once, meaning the print went through the press three times. Which is to say, producing this edition was a manner of meditation on the meaning of the phrase itself—bringing it all together is where the beauty lies.
Like our first Paper Jam Press edition, USE YOUR WORDS, today’s release can be read all sorts of ways. It made us think of holiday togetherness—’tis the season, and all of that—but there’s a broader message of unity in WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER, of acceptance and love, of intersectionality, of selflessness and solidarity, of resistance and progress. Together we can lift each other up, help those that need it, become our best selves and … dare we say it? Make the world a better place.
With art for everyone,
Team 20x200
Heads up holiday shoppers: today's the last day to order unframed prints and Artist Made editions for guaranteed domestic delivery by Xmas eve. Get that order in ASAP!
