Pentagram partner Paula Scher has designed a logo for Women+ on the Edge of Democracy, a theatrical initiative exploring American democracy and civic life that visually illustrates the space women are being squeezed into in democracy. Scher’s visual identity transforms the familiar geographical map outline of the United States of America into an expressive, provocative statement about representation, equality and power.
The Women+ on the Edge of Democracy project brings together 36 women+ and female-identifying playwrights, each commissioned to create short plays and monologues examining the state of democracy. Presented by the Flynn and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the initiative invites communities to stage these works in theatres, libraries, schools and public spaces, opening conversations about the future of civic life.
Scher’s identity captures this urgency through deliberately compressed, hand-drawn lettering. The title is squeezed into a rough approximation of the contiguous United States, with words competing for space and legibility. Created using coloured pencil, the lettering feels immediate and imperfect, rejecting the polished precision often associated with contemporary branding. The intention of the design was to suggest that women are being squeezed out of democracy, the map serving a visual metaphor for exclusion. By bringing these stories into shared public spaces, Women+ on the Edge of Democracy positions creative expression as a starting point for collective reflection and civic engagement.
