OCAD University alum Liam Mooney never expected his design work would take centre stage in international politics.
Mooney, a 2024 alum of the Strategic Foresight and Innovation program, is being celebrated for capturing a unifying national movement – a tangible example of how art and design can bring people together with creative solutions to pressing societal issues.
At a recent summit between Canadian and American political leaders, Ontario Premier Doug Ford donned a navy cap emblazoned with “Canada is not for sale,” in the run-up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The phrase evokes President Trump’s “Make America great again” slogan, a rally cry adopted by his supporters and frequently printed on apparel.
Mooney and Emma Cochrane, who run Jackpine Dynamic Branding, designed the hat after watching a Fox News segment in which host Jesse Watters questioned Premier Ford regarding President Trump’s desire to annex Canada.
The resulting cap, which features a Canadian-designed typeface, is a “creative rebuttal” against President Trump’s talk about annexing Canada. Mooney and Cochrane have described the cap as a small act of patriotism that has exploded into a cross-partisan, national patriotic movement.
“Sometimes, you need a bold, creative message when the threat is so big and politicians don’t really know how to respond,” says Mooney. “Policy can be super complex and diplomacy even more so. Art and design, on the other hand, can offer an emotionally engaging message that resonates with how people feel at their core.”
As Canadian politicians prepare for a potential trade war, the popularity of the hat’s slogan is clear: Mooney and Cochrane have received more than 40,000 orders, including international sales from the United States.
And the hat is a tangible example of how art and design are critical to presenting creative solutions that address pressing societal issues – in fact, in a few words, Mooney and Cochrane have articulated Canada’s position very clearly when it comes to talk about annexing Canada.
“Artists get to the truth or discover new ideas long before anyone else, because art is intuitive and works on a visceral level,” says Mooney.
