Dum Spiro Spero

I’m proud of my state this week. The South Carolina Senate defeated a reckless redistricting effort, and South Carolina voters have come out in droves for early voting. I wanted to make a shirt on Cotton Bureau to commemorate the hope I’ve felt in the state this week.

Dum spiro spero shirt.

Dum Spiro Spero is the South Carolina state motto — “While I breathe, I hope.”1 It’s a beautiful statement of persistence and determination. Yes, the shirt is in Latin, and yes, that means you’ll have to explain it to people.2 I recommend ordering a nice indigo blue.

If t-shirts aren’t your speed, there will also be an embroidered beanie soon, but the artwork isn’t ready quite yet.

Bob Wertz is a Ph.D. student, typeface designer, and native South Carolinian. He’s been blogging since 2008.

  1. And much better than our unofficial motto. ↩︎

  2. Dum Spiro Spero is typeset in SbB Certiphica Bold, my faux blackletter type design. ↩︎

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