Hellcare Regular: A Typeface Parodying Doctor's Handwriting
Art directors Parker Jones and Rajshree Saraf from Wieden+Kennedy in New York have developed a typeface named Hellcare Regular, which emulates the often indecipherable handwriting of doctors. This initiative stemmed from Jones's personal journey with her father's stage four cancer diagnosis and the daunting nature of the American healthcare system. The pair examined doctors' notes, focusing on the way letters merge, and practiced rapid writing to achieve a state of complete illegibility while retaining a basic alphabetical framework. Hellcare Regular serves as a political statement regarding the US healthcare system's inaccessibility and absurdity, using typography to express emotion and tension. The typeface was launched in 2026.
Key facts
- Hellcare Regular is a typeface parodying doctor's handwriting.
- Created by Parker Jones and Rajshree Saraf, art directors at Wieden+Kennedy in New York.
- Inspired by Jones's father's stage four cancer diagnosis and the difficulty of deciphering medical documents.
- The duo analyzed doctors' handwriting and experimented with fast writing to achieve illegibility.
- The typeface maintains underlying alphabetical structure despite chaotic appearance.
- Intended as political commentary on the US healthcare system's inaccessibility.
- Demonstrates typography as a tool for activism.
- Released in 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Parker Jones
- Rajshree Saraf
Institutions
- Wieden+Kennedy
Locations
- New York
- United States