Does cozying up with a book or two during the holidays sound about right? In Iceland, after the Jólabókaflóð, books are exchanged on Christmas Eve and then Icelanders spend the night reading.
Nice.
Makes sense too, Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world—five titles for every 1,000 Icelanders.
NICE!
Upon learning this, we were inspired to adapt the Icelandic tradition for our family, Christmas Day. I trust a new book or two will be found under the tree for Christmas to get things underway. And looking back, this past year was full of great reads—oldies and newbies. Curious about our fav’s? Here’s OUR TOP 10 FROM 2013, plus mini reviews.
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Call it nostalgia, kickin’ it old-skool or being a femme d’un certain age, but I prefer offset printing to digital. Which doesn’t mean I would universally recommend offset. Many different considerations determine which printing method I choose, such as desired quality, quantity, budget, timing, and size of the printed piece. But still—I dream of offset opportunities.
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This project. OH this project. I could say so very much about Holli Thompson—the brand and the woman. So much so that I’m kinda at a loss for words. Kinda. And how about those veggies up there? Right?!
So pretty.
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Last year, I spent a good portion of a Saturday at TEDxAustin, for the third time. Third time’s a charm they say, and I’d agree. They nailed it. A much more balanced day, where everything vibrated at a higher level. And this time, there was no mid-day slump. I was jolted, catapulted way high, by Dallas artist Jason Roberts, (a self-proclaimed community activist) who spoke about his living charette: The Better Block Project.
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I love etymology. Experiencing a common word from my lexicon, and watching it unfold out of it’s narrowest understanding into a rich history of cultural meaning. Ahhh. Nerdy? Maybe. And absolutely an opportunity for Design schoolin’.
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What began as a designer-y evening out, to see a documentary about geeky sign painters, turned into a call to arms. “Sign Painters” was chock-full of living examples of how any business should and can be run—and reawakened the zealot in me to go against industry same-ol’ same-ol’. Although not the intention of the filmmaker, throughout the film I was reminded to undertake the most radical stance a designer can take: standing with craft, integrity and creative authorship as the carriage to personal and client satisfaction. This flick is not just for designers, tattoo artists, or typographers… all entrepreneurs need to watch this. AND it should be required viewing for anyone who is/was/will ever be on the receiving end of design.
Now go. See if its showing in your city here.
What makes something a design triumph? There are a plethora of respected, annual design competitions—the one’s that can fill you with envy—that show a year’s best graphic design, and usually narrowly focused only on aesthetics. But there is only one heavy hitter annual who’s criteria considers how design creates value for clients.
THIS is one of THOSE projects that could be entered into THAT.
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Beyond thrilled to be collaborating with the wildly talented Illustrator, Marta Spendowska, for a special client project. Indulge in her portrait {and object} work, here.
Couch surfing, a la Airbnb or through more grass-roots sourcing, freaks some people out. It takes a leap of faith (in humanity) to rent a room from a stranger. I get the pause. So did performer Amanda Palmer, who at the most inopportune time—the moment after she rang the doorbell of a fan who offered their place as a crash pad—wondered “Is this what stupid people do? Is this how stupid people die?”
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I have strong opinions about seemingly small things—for example, a hotel’s choice of amenities is a BIG deal to me. However I am also quite nimble about my attachement to these opinions, which can be confusing. If your counter-reasoning makes sense, then alrighty, you’ve influenced a new opinion of mine. And thank you.
IF you make good sense.
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