Take a close look at this face. Who do you see?

We’d call him a clean-cut, middle-aged white man. He looks like a John, a James, or a Robert. Perhaps you’ve met him once: the husband of a friend, or a former colleague. Or maybe you’ve only ever seen him on television – people who look like him don’t mix in your circles.

What you’re looking at is the face of American politics in 2017. He is a composite image of the US Congress: all 100 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives, blended into one.

BBC Future decided to create the image because, in politics, faces matter.

As Zaria Gorvett explores in this accompanying article, research suggests that people often vote according to how their politicians look. Appearances turn elections.