I Can

Illustration of a black and silver can with white and blue eys and red text

The subject of this button is an illustration of a can covered in eyes with the phrase “I can” at the center. It is a play on words and has humorous undertones.

The font of the phrase on this button closely resembles an iteration of Futura, a typeface frequently used in the second half of the twentieth century, specifically the condensed, extra bold version of Futura. This version of the typeface was used in a near ubiquitous way throughout the 70s and 80s in advertisements and logos, notably by Nike. The universal and commercial aspects of the font was riffed upon by the Guerrilla Girls, an art movement founded in 1985 critiquing the traditions of the art world, as well as Barbara Kruger, whose art deals with issues of capitalism. This button’s illustration carries a similar provocative and playful energy to the Guerrilla Girls and Kruger’s work, using the font ironically in an artistic rather than commercial way.

Considering the fact that the button’s manufacturer was founded in 1972 as well as the style of the button, it is safe to assume that the button was created at some point in the 1980s or 1990s.