Visual density has long been a hallmark of programmatic design systems. The ease at which large quantities of forms can be generated is seductive, and visual complexity can often be read as a stand-in for focused labor. I wanted to resist that impulse. The true stakes of algorithmic output don’t reveal themselves in complicated visuals, but in more innocuous ways. To announce a discussion about the book, Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics I used the standard letter size paper and cheap laser printer to produce a set of small flyers and scattered them in the halls of Green Hall. The format is typical of political activism on college campuses. Standard typography and the ubiquitous format helped confuse the origin of the flyers, much like how state sponsored troll farms distribute memes.

I wrote a script that set the type with three injection points, each time the script is run it’s possible to inject different language while consistent information like the author’s name, the title of the book, time and place are automatically generated.

For each iteration I satirized popular right-wing conspiracy theories and current events.

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