Hellcare Regular is a typeface that parodies the cryptic chicken-scratch of doctor's handwriting

"Parker and Rajshree experimented in writing as fast as possible, over and over again, with the goal being complete illegibility - an interesting concept in typeface design where clarity and readability are often prioritised. Ironically, one would think that doctor's notes would be ultra-readable. Nevertheless, Parker and Rajshree didn't want it to be random scribbles, there needed to be "some underlying structure that actually resembled the alphabet" - of course."

""Achieving that balance between the alphabets was the hardest part - where each letter had to feel chaotic and rushed, yet still work as a system with consistent line weight, rhythm and x-height," says Parker. The result was Hellcare Regular. Doctor's handwriting is infamously known as 'chicken scratch', a metaphor for how hellish it is to navigate the American healthcare system."

"The goal was "to highlight the absurdity of how we've collectively accepted something that is so inaccessible as normal". Obviously, this isn't a jab at doctors, but uses typeface design as a way to politically commentate on how health care seeps into every moment of life. "A system that should be clear and easy to understand is instead purposely made cryptic and hostile," says Rajshree."

"Hellcare Regular goes to show how typography is an important tool for activism - the fashions in which it can communicate on subconscious levels, convey meaning just as much as the words it spells. "Rajshree introduced me to the world of typography. Working with her opened my eyes to the fact that type can be a medium to express an idea," says Parker. "We often think typography should be clear and legible because it's meant to communicate a message, but when you start to push those boundaries, I realised it can communicate in other ways"

Doctors’ scratch marks were analyzed to see how letterforms blur into one another, where an “e” could become an “o.” Parker and Rajshree repeatedly experimented with writing at high speed to achieve complete illegibility while still resembling the alphabet. They aimed for a balance where letters feel chaotic and rushed yet function as a consistent system with stable line weight, rhythm, and x-height. The resulting typeface, Hellcare Regular, uses the “chicken scratch” stereotype to highlight the absurd acceptance of something cryptic and hostile. The project frames typography as a tool for activism by communicating meaning beyond literal readability.

Read at Itsnicethat