Watermark

Viva la Deadlines

2011-07-21T18:17:00.000-06:00

While watching a recent documentary about Yves Saint Laurent, his partner had a comment on deadlines. Something to the effect: I don't know what magic designers have but they always make the deadline.

Eight years in newspapers honed my deadline muscles and muses. But I wanted relief, so I turned to academia for—among other things—it's openness. But deadlines are part of design always and this month was an extraordinary one.

So just a note of gratitude to Pierre Bergé for not only acknowledging the power of a deadline, but for making me feel better when I needed it. Four major publications have returned from the press in the past week alone. I feel the weight of the world off my shoulders.

Maybe that's the magic. Design generates constant relief. Constant labor. Constant ticking. Constant joy.

Trifecta of Cool

2011-07-21T17:38:00.000-06:00

Ok, it's actually a foursome of cool but quadrangle isn't a very cool word.

Heath Ceramics + Eames + House Industries + French Paper Co. = a reason to remodel the exterior of my house. Visit here for loveliness.

Infinite City

2011-06-21T22:37:00.000-06:00

Infinite City is one of those books it's practically impossible to write about, because it is too eloquent to be summarized. As Rebecca Solnit's title suggests, it simply cannot be contained. So accept these meager photographs as valentines to what has been the most enchanting read I've had in years. The most conceptually-pristine project of recent memory. The perfect integration of three passions of mine: writing, design and cartography. Each map in this atlas is juxtaposed in a manner that evokes more than their literal meanings.

Loveliest flourish of the whole book: not placing a period at the end of the essays. Rather, each essay ends with the glyph for infinity ∞

Forgotten Dreams

2011-05-22T17:39:00.000-06:00

Werner Herzog's new documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, is mesmerizing. Cave paintings are the original watermark ... the oldest traceable record of man. This film takes us inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France to witness 30,000 year old cave paintings. I have only been in two caves in my lifetime. Caves have that way of dwarfing mankind; diminishing how I feel about my place in the universe. The patience of stalagmites and the pristine way caves preserve their caches really make me second-guess the Rocky Mountains I see every day of my life. We have no way of knowing how many mysteries are unaccessible to us. So it's fortunate when discoveries like this are made. I understand the primitive impulse of marking, but seeing the hand prints of ancient man in such a fresh way only provokes questions upon questions for me. And absolute respect for humans; for our creative spirit; for our brief time on Earth and for our unifying desire to leave something behind.

Foiled Again

2011-05-16T21:58:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I feel like a squirrel with my constant attraction to shiny things. To justify recent impulses, I offer descriptions from a Pantone webinar of how metals are being used now:
• as ephemeral colors with broken shines.
• as material illusions with textured monochromes.
• in ways that are familiar, but new.

Take for example a palette they call Titanium: a bridge to new heights.
Where blues break and mutate, then turn to black. Bursts of overexposed colors create tonal variation. It’s a complete statement in metal with both reflective and matte surfaces.

These two invitations came off the press this past week. Evening Under the Stars is printed on Reich Shine's Onyx. To enhance it's astral qualities, and to make it seem more blue, I specified a pale foil and matching juniper-colored envelopes from CTI's Aspire Petallics. But the colors are fleeting and drift from a variation on the standard black and white event; to a turquoise-infused galaxy hovering over fountains and night-blooming flowers—a complete landscape in indigo, beryl, verdigris and aquamarine.

The Polo Cup invitation for the University of Utah called for foil to add flair to Pat Bagley's signature jockey drawing. In its third year of use, we needed to make it familiar, but new. We embossed the entire illustration contour and foil stamped the line art. I think the foil is honorific of his handiwork. It glints like like pencil lead and like a trophy. Attendees will recall the previous year's flamboyance and whole-charactered cast.

Inked Letters

2011-05-01T18:22:00.001-06:00

This lovely fragment from a full alphabet in ink and water was created by Ruslan Khasanov. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind all week. It's dreamy, ephemeral, and exquisite.

iGutenberg

2011-05-01T17:59:00.000-06:00

This charming infographic spans two and one-half millennia of printing. From China's wood type to Germany's Gutenberg Bible to the good old American iPad. I've had my iPad less than a month and am still in the honeymoon phase. It's the perfect format for magazines, and magazine reading. I love the seamless nature of leaving an article to visit a Web site and promptly returning. I love the layout options and dynamic content expressions without the commotion of Web publishing. It's another example of every day magic.

The graphic is produced by Visual Loop and designed by Flávia Marinho.

Making Faces

2011-04-23T12:39:00.002-06:00

I just received my copy of Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century. Making Faces is a documentary by Richard Kegler of P22 Type Foundry showcasing Jim Rimmer, master typographer, who passed away in January 2010. The DVD came with a lot of extras: a specimen book of Stern—the first (and perhaps only) font released simultaneously in metal and digitally; a chapbook of Rimmer's type designs (pictured above); a cast metal lower case 'k' from the Stern family (also pictured above); and a copy of Rimmer's font Loxley, made for an edition of Robin Hood.

In the spirit of connecting this to entry to my blog—metal type is a perfect watermark. It leaves an impression beyond the letter forms and the paper fibers. It's a watermark of type designers and their lives, of craftspeople and industry; a watermark of both time and history. Kegler's drive to capture Rimmer at work on film is a valentine in the nick of time.

Journey's End

2011-04-03T12:25:00.000-06:00

7 years. 12 trips. I have completed my journey book.

Sharilyn Wright, a Canadian bookbinder at Lovely Design, makes these from vintage papers sourced from all over the world. Acts of serendipity resulted: a gatefold of Asian script coincided with a map I had of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC printed in Korean. A postcard map of Newport Beach fell onto a turquoise sheet of construction paper, a perfect sea match. An electricians diagram eerily resembling Central Park coincided with a trip to New York for a conference on design. And a final act of serendipity ... my latest trip was to Los Angeles; as I adhered one final coaster, I turned the page to see the end sheet is a map of L.A., which is the city my parents lived in as newlyweds. It feels like I have come home.

Though I can no longer close the book, it's durable quality holds up. And why would I want to shut this volume overflowing with memories? A mundane, yet exotic, candy wrapper from the Lan Su Japanese Garden in Portland instantly fills my senses with tea, ginger, umbrellas, and a recuperative lunch with friends. I can still smell their café. Letterpress scraps immediately conjure Oblations Press, and the hour spent rifling through their inventory. I bought my yellow Lamy pen from there, and have never loved a pen more. A doily from the Farmhouse in Dunwoody, GA brings back high tea with my sister, surrounded by fancy ladies in hats and a tea kettle buried in a crocheted cozy. A scrap of a poster of lettuce from Earthbound Farms in Carmel Valley, CA brings back walking barefoot through their chamomile labyrinth as much as it makes me think of the Steinbeck book I was reading on that same trip. I can almost feel the sun on my neck. I think I prefer memory to photographs.

Between the Folds

2011-02-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Between the Folds is a charming—if it's appropriate to use that word—Independent Lens feature about how origami has contributed to design, math, engineering and science. It's absolutely mesmerizing to watch the constructions that can be done with a sheet of paper. The plane can become disorienting through experimentation; consequently opening up the mind to not only dream possibilities, but to an ultimate reality. They showcased organic folds as well as mathematical. I found the case-studies about how origami has contributed to air bags and synthetic proteins inspiring. What's more, the pleasure these scientist-artists convey is authentic. I think it's because they will never lose the sense of inquiry and surprise that life, and their vocations, have in store.

[Photos from PBS Web site.]

Sirens of the Sea

2011-02-17T06:55:00.001-07:00

Judith Schalansky is my latest delight. I bought The Atlas of Remote Islands during the middle of winter. Exotic island escapes seemed in order. I was vulnerable to a seductive, yet sparse, cover. The subtitle: 50 Islands I have Never Set Foot On and Never Will conjured another favorite author. In The Art of Travel Alain deBotton tells us of Duc des Esseintes who, in order to escape the hassles of oversea travel, made an aquarium so that ‘the imagination could provide a more-than-adequate substitute for the vulgar reality of actual experience.’ The Atlas was an easy sell.

I was more than a month into this bedside escape when I finally read about the author and made the shocking discovery … she’s the same designer behind Fraktur Mon Amour, another valentine from an earlier post of mine. I should have detected her signature use of spot color and adoration of unusual typography. Now I am as envious as I am grateful for Judith Schalansky.

I might not have stumbled on the about the author page were I not seeking a note on the type. There was none, but a little research led me to the quirky, yet sublime, Sirenne. You should read about it here. I have no idea how this book came to be, but I imagine Judith said to herself one day “I’d love to make maps”; and then she did just that.

Knockout of a Prize

2011-01-16T18:52:00.001-07:00

Hoefler & Frere-Jones is the most sophisticated type foundry in America. Their bespoke families are precise and enviable. I can't think of anyone who can capture in words everything their creations convey quite the way they can. Reading about their fonts is proof that a creative brief matters, and can be achieved. The delight in reading Tobias Frere-Jones: Gerrit Noordzij Prize Exhibition is the affirmation of design as both business and art.

Finding this book was an accident, a gift. Every trip to Portland, Oregon means a mecca to Powell's Books. And they never disappoint. I made two discoveries I didn't even know were published; Frere-Jones award catalogue is one of them. The highlight of New Year's in Portlandia was celebrating with friends. The take-away, however, was this jewel of a book.

Diabetes: Focus on Women

2011-01-08T20:55:00.002-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce I have designed my first book. Diabetes: Focus on Women is a compilation of case-based vignettes told by diabetes and women's health experts. From sexual dysfunction to oncological risks, this one-of-a-kind book explores the full spectrum of women's health. It even covers gestational concerns as well as post-partum care. This guide provides a practical approach for health care providers, diabetes educators and patients alike. Each chapter ends with practical pearls and pitfalls. The book also includes:

• Evidence-based algorithms for glucose, lipid and blood pressure management

• Complementary and alternative medicine for diabetes

• Educational resources and websites for patient education

The project originated from a conference two years ago, and funded in part by a federal grant from the Office on Women's Health. Twenty contributing doctors and scientists are involved. Co-editors Kathleen B. Digre, M.D. and Robert E. Jones, M.D., FACP, FACE were an absolute delight to work with. Presentations at national conferences, access via health science libraries, and local development efforts will help the book reach it's core audience.

Designing this book has been a dream project. I got to do the most advanced typesetting of my career, as well as 49 tables and figures. Most of all, books last. It's exciting to have done something that will stick around. The book was printed in the U.S. Proceeds will be used for charity care at the Utah Diabetes Center.

Colophon: The book is typeset in Martin Majoor's Scala and Scala Sans, with Hoeffler & Frere-Jone's Sentinel used as a display face. Supporting Greek and Roman glyphs were required. Cover art is by Nicholas Jones.

Compendium

2010-12-27T19:07:00.001-07:00

My Christmas gift to the family. More than a decade in the making ... A Compendium of Colby Idioms is a compilation of quotes collected over the years. Most of them absurd, ridiculous, and completely out of context. Making this was a fun way to see the family personality in aggregate. Blurb made it possible. What a lucky development we have in today's technology to make manifest our creative concepts.

Brown Paper Packages

2010-11-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Never mind what's inside—the packing tape on my French Paper shipment was almost excitement enough. French had a 50% off sale and I bought everything I believed I could actually use. Just in time for the holidays, no less. The icing on the cake was the following day, AIGA and Xpedx hosted a luncheon with one of the French family members at the nifty Mini's Retro Café. I love French paper for not only offering rich and clever papers and paper products via Pop Ink, nor for their design inspirations via CSA Images, but for simply being a delightful company.

Francophile Follow-up

2010-11-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

James Franco is sad because my designs weren't used as props in his new film. (See my March 2010 post.) It's OK James. It was a fun year anticipating whether or not they'd make it into your movie 127 Hours. I suppose there were other scenes that were probably more important to the story. Just know I'm still available to design for your next movie, and I'll still be rooting for you at the Oscars.

See Amid the Winter's Snow

2010-11-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

A perfect wintry evening: jazz band and gallery stroll through the Flynn Artipelago Studios as the weather achieved near-blizzard status. The Chow Truck kept us well fed with spicy tacos. One studio offered mulled cider ... you really need a night like this to appreciate hot cider.

A woman made glass beads with her blowtorch; we contemplated buying a Dia de los Muertos tile wall hanging; another woman fashioned miniature birdbaths beside her kiln; and a stoner's studio had an old Mac from the early 90's covered with paint and fingerprints, but I was too shy to photograph that with all his questionable buddies hanging 'round.

Headed back to the car afterward, we took brief refuge under a tree still laden with leaves and berries, now hung low with wet jeweled snow.

Illuminated Manuscript

2010-11-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

Marian Bantjes induces rapture. Her monograph, I Wonder, brings illuminated manuscripts fully into the modern age. Marian gives a glimmer here in her TED video clip. But I recommend you buy your own copy and experience it yourself.

This volume will sit squarely with Fraktur Mon Amour in my new design as scripture bookshelf.

Full Bleed

2010-10-31T19:31:00.000-06:00

Held at the Mandate Press in Salt Lake City, here is a synopsis of a recently-attended exotic AIGA event: Full Bleed.

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On Thursday, October 28, the world of contemporary art and body art will merge as AIGA joins with professionals from the Yellow Rose and Cathedral Tattoo shops for 'Full Bleed: The tattoo and design experience.'

Tattoo culture has seen an influx of new artists, many of whom have impressive technical and fine arts training. From drawings, prints, and paintings to skin, the art and culture of the tattoo industry crosses traditional boundaries by telling life stories. Using the iconography of experiences, from classic Tattoo Flash to the Old West, from Asia and Polynesia, each design carries it's own special meaning.

Join AIGA Salt Lake City as we explore the graphic perspective on today's global tattoo culture. Entry gets you two drinks on us, access to top local artists, local artwork, and plenty of ink!
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Empire

2010-10-24T16:08:00.001-06:00

New York City in October. An island between seasons; an ephemeral escape; a sublime dislocation.

Like my previous color palettes based upon travel, I use my iPhone camera; then the Pantone application to extract colors from those images; e-mail ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) files; and complete the project in InDesign when I return from my trip. The goal is to be open and receptive to what turns up; not to force the colors. Brownstone's are a surprising conglomeration of hues I wouldn't have selected as brick. Yet the Brooklyn bridge colors are precisely what I recall. Incidentally, the green patinas on old edifices and sculpture share a lot of attributes with the emanations from electronic signs and monitors.

My airplane reading material for this trip was Maira Kalman's illustrated edition of Strunk's The Elements of Style. I read it in anticipation of her new book And the Pursuit of Happiness. So with Maira in mind, I feel this palette could easily have come from her ineluctable and intuitive character studies. That's the thing about New York ... everyone's personality is in the foreground, but we must find something to focus on before we spin out of control. It allows you to see and appreciate everything for what it is, and then forces you to move on before you can understand it.

Original Sparks

2010-09-28T21:44:00.000-06:00

I cannot seem to locate a seminal interview on creativity. It’s something I read in the ’90s; and I’m convinced it was by Julie Taymor. She was discussing her creative process. What I recall was she had an anthropological method of creating inside the box. By keeping boxes in her studio she would throw everything in that inspired her: a piece of fabric, books, scribbles and notes, everything. She would maintain boxes by concept, character, project—whatever is relevant. That way as she begins to push the subject she can always return to original sparks. A texture that had been overlooked until it was ready to be incorporated could re-emerge. A gesture or line that couldn’t seem to be re-drawn needn’t be lost. More importantly, this method of capture allowed her to delve back as far as she can research until she discovers the archetype, origin, the kernel of the thing she is pursuing. If by chance she is led astray, she can always undo. I love this methodology. It’s a concept that I think of several times a year. Twice I’ve heard Grant McCracken present on archetypes and it’s a topic I want to explore further. I’m interested in learning more about the intersection of gestalt, archetypes, and anthropology.

I’ve been thinking of Julie Taymor recently for having seen The Lion King musical again. Naturally it only makes me want to rewatch Titus or Frida. I love Ms. Taymor’s art brut methods. Her brazenness and nuance are covetable.

For lack of better, here is a fine interview between Ms. Taymor and Oprah. The photo above is from Sara Krulwich/The New York Times.

Exposed Grid

2010-09-15T22:23:00.001-06:00

University of Utah Health Care's Information Technology Services hadn't updated their strategic plan in a decade. This decision-leading document needed to be progressive, confident and engaging. I felt we should be front-and-center about infrastructure by leaving the booklet's grid exposed on the cover. The spare cover also adds a nice counterpoint to the photography-rich interior. Each spread has a health care photo where technology is integral to medical practice.

The table of contents is also left exposed on the cover. The booklet is split in halves: The Introduction has an orange background; The Plan — a yellow ground with a faux watermark. The photo well and type columns adjusts with each half of the book. All images have a shiny UV gloss. UV also adorns the vertical and horizontal lines on the cover, as well as our title. It's a great finishing effect that helps emit the back-lit technology photos used throughout. Principal photography is by Kevin Lee.

Page numbers are represented in Hoeffler & Frere-Jones' Dividend, from the Numbers family. Numbers has a pixel-like quality in spite of it's low-tech origins (designed after antique perforated check writing machines) that plays well with the display face Headroom, by TypeTrust. Headroom is a mechanical all-caps face that includes a cheeky ink-trap alternate. The booklet's text face is Scala Sans.

To keep costs down, we constrained the booklet to one parent sheet. To keep the book polished, we had it perfect bound. A companion Web site can be found here.

I Wan'na Be Like You

2010-09-12T20:02:00.000-06:00

I recently saw Waking Sleeping Beauty—a documentary about Disney's animation studio from 1984-1994 (e.g. age 11 to the year before I graduated from college). I went in as a patron of the artists ... and left having revisited the entirety of my adolescence through the lens of fantasy and imagination without any other cultural references. What an amazing revisitation. I was stupefied by the flashbacks, and emotions it conjured. It was unique to remember moments and people, but not all the other stuff. I love contradictions and this was a great one: to feel simultaneously connected to this magical realm, and yet to have had a completely objective review of that most bizarre period of life—adolescence.

It was equally unique to review my career decisions that led me away from animation. When I think of the journey of an artist and all the motivations and inspirations juxtaposed against our changing culture ... I can't say I'm sorry. I'm really happy with my life in it's present state. But it's always heartening to have cinema and animation available. Catharsis, fantasy, escape, and ultimately—confronting reality—all seem implicit parts of the viewing experience. Spectating is rarely a passive experience.

A Bible to Swear On

2010-08-17T22:07:00.000-06:00

Fraktur Mon Amour is one of those book-as-art objects that just screams across whatever room it’s in. The patent black cover with pink edges instantly provokes curiosity. What a lovely valentine to calligraphy we have in this tome. Featuring more than 330 blackletter scripts—150 on a companion CD—Judith Schalansky has created a compendium as rich with history as the Holy Bible itself.

Gallery Stroll

2010-07-30T13:57:00.000-06:00

Any time I can use Zaner—the lush Spencerian script by P22—I will. Same goes for shiny paper. (In this case, CTI's Aspire Petallics Silver Ore.)

This past Tuesday we had an event for University Hospital benefactor's to unveil the new portrait gallery as well as our wall of engraved donor names. We needed to represent both giving levels, but that made for a lengthy event title. The solution: a type treatment for each exhibit split by a flourish evoking: the unveiling of draped art; strolling; and even a lyrical quality. (It looks like a violin to me. Someone else told me it makes them think of Phantom of the Opera.)

The event was a fine affair, attended by people with interesting relationships to the University of Utah. A recent heart transplant patient spoke about his experience here and that really helped crystalize why we give. From the generosity of an organ donor's family, to the financial gifts that keep our institution a pioneering one, to the time commitments of our volunteer staff, it's always heartening for me to see the underlying passions that keep people connected.

Library Rapture

2010-07-26T20:52:00.001-06:00

This is my favorite recurring exhibit. Every year the AIGA displays some of the best in publishing. It causes some serious bouts of jealousy, but also some serious bouts of elation. And I think this was the most books I happened to already own. Sigh, McSweeney's. Timely, since Chronicle Books just released The Art of McSweeney's, which I'm reading right now.

The exhibit is twice as fun for always being held at the U of U Marriott Library. Laurie gave me a short tour through the Book Arts Studio to see her recent letterpress project.

Millcreek BBQ

2010-07-25T20:11:00.000-06:00

This is just a little snippet of an invitation I made for my family barbecue. You can never use maps enough in design. I had fun juxtaposing the save the date (left) against the actual invitation (right) which used a map of another sort. Liberty Park has a delightful replica of our local canyons as footpaths that empty out into a playful water feature for kids.

Sadly, the water is off right now as we are recovering from an oil spill that originated in Red Butte Creek and has overwhelmed our formerly-gorgeous city pond. Yes, an oil spill in Utah. A little solidarity for the gulf-coast states who are suffering badly from the BP spill right now, and will continue to for decades.

lost and found

2010-07-06T22:00:00.000-06:00

found in cabinet

captured ideas and ramblings

long thought lost, returned

Making Faces

2010-06-13T16:22:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to have just made a donation to Richard Kegler's documentary Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century. Kegler's foundry, P22, remains one of America's most engaging type makers and distributors. The documentary features Jim Rimmer, who passed away this year. Rimmer's exquisite font families can be found at P22. My favorite is the chiseled Lapis. Regardless of the tools used, fonts are still human-made; and I love how Rimmer's fonts feel cultivated by hand.

Kegler used persuasive incentive to donate: a copy of the film on DVD, a specimen book from Rimmer's poetic typeface Stern, and a yet-to-be-released Robin Hood font called Loxley. I look forward to the eventual release of Making Faces.

PDX Palette

2010-05-30T17:08:00.000-06:00

My personal color palette from Portland, Oregon.

Like my previous Memphis color palette, I used my iPhone camera; then the Pantone application to extract colors from those images; e-mail ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) files; and complete the project in InDesign when I returned from my trip. The goal is to be open and receptive to what turns up; not to force the colors. There were too many nuanced greens to capture ... and trying to pin down both steel, and wool, proved it's really hard for me to let go of my preconceived notions of those substrates. This palette is inspired by Greg & Justin's house (pink vanity, tiki bar), Chinese and Japanese gardens, drippy days and drinky nights, ceramic coffee mugs and one fabulous dessert.

Building Blocks

2010-05-18T19:08:00.000-06:00

Asked to distill the complexities of our academic medical center into a simple expression, we developed these acrylic blocks. Color coding helps the presenter gang each layer into it's obvious succession. Fractured words span each layer. The tendency to complete the puzzle, so to speak, engages the audience in learning our three-fold mission: education, which is the foundation supporting research, which translates into clinical care. All of this to bear up the health of each patient.

The reverse side of the cubes cite examples from each part of the mission. The sides have supporting photography. A companion screen presentation was made available for larger groups, or for travel.

Flourish

2010-04-30T23:13:00.000-06:00

Having coveted Thomas Paul's Flourish pillow for two years, I finally decided to buy it. Naturally I decide to do so even as it gets discontinued. Having made not one but two online purchases, only to be contacted later by both shops to say they can no longer fulfill my order, I panicked. But persistence pays off. Thomas Paul connected me to the Gilt Groupe for a one-day sale and I was able to get the pillow. For half price. Bonus: it's reversible. The black side was a dramatic surprise.

I adore Spencerian script, and the ornamentation from that era. Thomas Paul exploited that enchanted penmanship into a modern aesthetic. The emotional allure is inescapable. I have an ancestor who taught that style of writing and ornament. I learned it in elementary school. And now I seem to be sucker every time it turns up: in Martha Stewart Living magazine, in Alejandro Paul & P22's typography, and now ... in my living room.

More Curious Than Ever

2010-04-25T22:36:00.001-06:00

I've had a life-long adoration of Curious George. But it's just recently I learned how aligned his authors were to his narrow and frequent escapes. H.A. and Margret Rey fled Nazi invasion and went on to lead remarkable lives. I love that they channeled their personalities and experiences into whimsical and effervescent adventures. It shows a brightness of spirit, and an inquisitive persistence I aspire to. Their books have been fixtures on my night stand as long as I can recall. I find it fascinating you don't even need to know a back story to really gain something from art.

Revinylize

2010-04-02T22:25:00.000-06:00

Revynilize is a project by the Salt Lake chapter of the AIGA. It's one of the better concepts I've seen under the rubric of reuse—an overlooked portion of the government waste-reduction campaign: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Designers love reuse, though. The DIY culture of ReadyMade magazine, and similar tribes, has been a pleasurable and inventive pastime of mine. I think the indie fashion world also makes great use out of repurposing fabric into exceptional, and coveted, commercial pieces.

Just a couple of rescued banners were converted by a local tailor into 8 messenger-style bags that are destined to be envied by U of U employees. It was a proud moment watching our local board members present the program in Memphis at the national design conference last fall. It was even nicer to have them be so eager to help get these custom-made for us. I can't wait to see the faces of the lucky few recipients.

... of My Affection

2010-03-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

A few fine films about design have released in the past few years. None quite so good as Gary Hustwit's Objectified. If Helvetica was a valentine, this documentary is a marriage. A union of the objects—noticed and overlooked—that contribute to our civilization. What struck me most through the interviews was how crucial relationships are. How designed objects deepen our most human interactions. In particular, Bill Moggridge of IDEO and designer of the first laptop computer, tells about his father's briefcase. Well-worn and now in his possession, the case is surely coveted by his children because it only seems to get more attractive with age. More storied with age. Unlike the trendy and now missing backpack of my middle-school years—this is an item that lives on. Moggridge says he wants to design things that "wear in" and not out. Words to design by.

Francophile

2010-03-15T20:58:00.001-06:00

My brochures may become props in the next Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) movie.

We've been asked to send collateral from University Hospital for use in the upcoming film 127 Hours starring James Franco as Aron Ralston. Ralston is the mountaineer who got stuck in Moab, Utah in 2003. Pinned by a boulder, he amputated his own arm with a knife to survive. Boyle will surely bring a lot of grit to what is already a brutish true tale.

Is it too much to dream that Franco will pick up my design work with his remaining arm? Or perhaps become a hand model for everything in my portfolio?

Photo from Franco's Web site.

Vintage Travel Ephemera

2010-01-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

While helping to clear out my step-grandfather in-law's apartment (is that even a relationship?) I was given these gems from his daughter. Disneyland Map, circa 1964; Scenic Wonders of the West photo folio, circa 1942; and the New Zealand Free Lance Annual, Oct. 16, 1939.

Opening the Disneyland map, in particular, gave me chills like the scene in The Goonie's when the boys find the map in the attic. I just love how the creases make their own topography on top of what is already a map.

The Scenic Wonders of the West folio has extraordinary texture. It could be re-created today with Mohawk's Cordwain for the folio, and the nicely textured Neenah Coronado paper for the tinted photos.

Both the hairline and script fonts within the New Zealand Free Lance Annual are back in style. the '30s had typography pegged ... that era is still making statements.

Jacobson's Apothecary

2010-01-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

Jacobson's Apothecary is a catalogue of sour home remedies. It's also an ode to my Mom—affectionately, the "witchdoctor". These common cures for common folk include such local medical miracles as:

Nettles Regurgitant, made by magpies
Sassafrass Smelling Salts, from the Great Salt Lake, brine shrimp free
Viper Vaccine, available by the drop
Quince Flatulence Quieter, offering discrete relief, only 70¢ per cube
Honey Locust Lotion, with black licorice and chicory extract
Epazote Con Agave, guaranteed Mexican-strength but beware—contents are flammable
the beesting-strong Prickly Pear Expectorant is aged two years
Pennyroyal Poultice, cures a shocking range of maladies: from consumption to avian flu
Poison Ivy Ointment, for when you been playin' where you weren't s'posed to be
the good as gooseberries Baby's Tears Balm & Thistle Tonic costs only 14¢/oz.
Great Basin Vapors and Chloroform, a mere 38¢ per squirt
The Original Milkweed Linimint, still curing rashes

Look for an updated catalogue in 2010. With the distillery on-site, these all-natural remedies come with a certified "Real-Good" Guarantee.

Pretty Paper

2010-01-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

My paper rep from Zellerbach's asked me to design a tag for her holiday gift to area designers this past Christmas. Camille packaged assorted paper and envelopes into a shiny little bundle so recipients can create custom notes and cards. Papers included the shimmery Aspire Petallics; tactile delights such as Oxford, Sundance Felt, and even Gmund; colors ranged from silver, marigold, turquoise, rustic reds, and even translucent whites. Camille sealed the packets with a handsome brown sticker.

The reindeer is licensed from CSA Images, and I used P22 Brass Script ... typeset in brass. Ultimately we just wanted the packages to be mirthful, but with a touch of glam, to match the high quality of the papers. Thanks to Camille for including me. I wish we'd had more time to do something really over the top. Past designers have included the idiosyncratic Angela Adams and McRay Magleby, so it really was an honor that I even crossed her mind.

National Suicide Day: A Celebration

2010-01-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

“Except for World War II, nothing ever interfered with the celebration of National Suicide Day. It had taken place every January third since 1920, although Shadrack, its founder, was for many years the only celebrant.”

I’ll let you in on a secret … I think I may be the only celebrant today. Maybe you should join in. The passage above is from Toni Morrison’s novel Sula. I discovered Toni Morrison in college … not by curriculum but by a book cover: Tar Baby. Such a bold title—with cover art reminiscent of Henri Rousseau—my curiosity was peaked. And I was instantly absorbed. By the time I had read Sula and Beloved, Ms. Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize. She’s essentially been my spiritual matriarch since.

Shadrack is a veteran who returned from war clearly coping with what we call today Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The townsfolk couldn’t figure him out, but he was making his way the best he could. As a method to make “a place for fear as a way of controlling it”, Shadrack instituted National Suicide Day. He would walk through town with a cow bell and a hangman’s noose crying out to the citizens “that this was their only chance to kill themselves or each other.”

By this point in my life I was already leery of New Year’s resolutions. If something needed to be changed—start now. I already had enough waiting in the future. I didn’t need to plan to fix bad habits; I needed to repair them now. Nevertheless, anxiety seemed to follow me everywhere. And National Suicide Day seemed to be a potential solution.

Having practiced more than a dozen years now, what I like about the personal holiday is it’s the one time of the year I let go. Really let go of suppressed thoughts. Things we normally want to avoid. All the irrational things that we fear might actually occur if we think them. I might celebrate by writing down (or saying out loud, or screaming) everything I dread. And then go murder them. Throw them off a bridge. Toss them under a car. Stab them with sharp implements.

It sure beats a resolution because there’s nothing left to do. Yet it comes with the same accoutrements: fear, self-despisal, neglect, guilt. Like all rituals, it makes one feel better. It’s an act of engagement, release and devotion. And who knows—maybe one day after I’ve suffocated myself, shot myself, and burned myself to death, I’ll really be able to start living.

Ode to '09

2010-01-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Drawing Conclusions

2009-12-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

Give me a three-hole punch and a binder. Scissors, stapler, and a stack of my subscriptions … I am good to go. Among winter’s many graces are snowy nights stuck inside. I have been organizing the dickens out of my home. The promise of having a place for everything requires removal. I have shed two years worth of Sunset magazine by clipping and filing into binders to match their mission: travel, home & garden, food. I am transferring notes from my monthly Cooking Light into their annual cookbook. This is my ninth year of loyalty. In fact, I am donating three cookbooks other’s have gifted me because I simply won’t use them.

This year-end scrub up and filing fantasia is even more delightful as I completed today both a sketchbook and a diary. I watercolored the last page of my Moleskine notebook bought in San Francisco in ‘06. The first painting was on Labor Day ’08 and I have consistently painted an impromptu picture each holiday since. I also finished a wood-covered journal bought in New York last year. First entry was the day after Thanksgiving ’09. It brings great pleasure to crack open a new Moleskine (scheduled for Martin Luther King Day) and a new journal I bought last month in San Francisco.

In truth, I spoke to soon. I have yet to tackle the filing cabinet. I just don’t think I can do it without a paper shredder. My organizational armory is incomplete.

More Food Drive Campaign Photos

2009-12-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

Results of the drive:

51,500 lbs of donated food

+ 43,104 lbs of food (by way of $21,552 in cash donations)

= 94,604 lbs of food contributed to fight hunger

We nearly doubled our goal of raising 50,000 lbs of food. Equally impressive—U of U employees volunteered 270 hours sorting at Utah Food Bank.

Bar Code Deluxe: Second Edition

2009-12-23T17:11:00.001-07:00

Another playful bar code in letterpress. This one is from Mr. Letter's Press. It's a special-edition holiday card made for AI[Give]A Holiday Card Party held recently at Salt Lake's tastiest little boutique: Frosty Darling.

The View From Here

2009-12-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

McSweeney’s #33 is a triumph. The San Francisco Panorama is a one-day musing on what newspapers could be. It’s newsy, but it’s also spirited, vogue, earnest, and engaging. The Sports section comes with an illustrated baseball insert that makes even me wish I was an enthusiast. The Absolut ad makes me want a martini with Zooey Deschanel right now. Kudos McSweeney’s for imagining what newspapers could do to differentiate from the Web. Whatever they can imagine, they can pull off. I don’t always enjoy their contributors but when McSweeney's goes conceptual … they inspire and astound. I haven’t missed newsprint much since I left it four and a half years ago. Until now.

Yes We Can

2009-12-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Asked to put together a food drive in just two weeks was it's own monumental task. Pulling it off with flair ... the only way we'd make it through. Our VP conceived the whole thing; our junior designer executed it; and I supported them with vendor management while attempting to keep the rest of our design projects from stagnation. What a relief to be on this side of the equation now.

We created a flat soup can, perforated and scored, to be delivered to every employee. A simple solution, but an ingenious one for not only creating an interactive opportunity for the message to sink in, but they also created instant decorative flair. As I walk through the hospital and office areas now, it's hard not to find stacks of our cans. Grocery bags were mailed to everyone's home with both a call to action, and a seasonal message from the CEOs. After shopping, employees drop their bagged donations off at work in giant barrels wrapped with the same soup can graphic. We designed an "I Gave" sticker to wear after dropping off your donation ... it looks like the top of a metal can. And to track donations, we're wrapping a two-story pillar after semi-weekly weigh-ins. By the time we achieve our goal, it will look like the largest grocery store end cap ever. More photos to come. (Including the dancing can mascot.)

Ebony & Ivory

2009-11-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

Whether a duet between buildings—or a moment of serendipity—I'll take it. These chance musical murals, blocks apart in North Beach, made my walk to Coit Tower even more enchanting.

Designed to the Nines

2009-11-12T21:34:00.001-07:00

Our third fundraising campaign for the U of U College of Nursing mailed out this week. It will start landing in homes while we're in San Francisco celebrating the award our previous campaign received. Whereas the first two campaigns were more emotional—and relied heavily upon relationships—this campaign is simple, accessible, and leveraged on a small, but specific ask: please give $9.99 in '09. (Or $99; or $999.)

Since this is our third request of the same audience, we made sure to thank them for giving already; offered them a quick status report on the progress of construction and all previous donations; and expressed the type of things just $9.99 more can provide: books and supplies, scholarships seed money; etc.

The outer envelope was designed to provoke curiosity: a hydra of 9's swarm the address field. Inside is a simple flat insert. The front side is a concise appeal for $9.99 in '09. The reverse is a collage of polaroids—the captions of which evoke project status as well as the needs of students and faculty. The polaroids float on a field of nines to both reinforce our theme, and more subtly imply the aggregated effect of thousands of donors. I designed the reverse side as a giant poster with 38 different pictures so when the parent sheet cuts down we have 16 different backs. Yet each back side covers two themes: construction, and either student or faculty needs. Each card was round cornered, like our first campaign, and then perforated for easy mail-back of the donation form.

Parent sheets were pulled during press-check as posters to hang in the various spaces our faculty and students have been spread to through this construction dislocation. Kind of a morale booster, as well as something to keep the end goal in focus.

The Caring Continuum

2009-11-07T10:08:00.001-07:00

A year after the first campaign, the U of U College of Nursing returned to us for a new opportunity to help raise funds to aid the national nurse educator shortage. With the monies secured for expanding and retrofitting the college, our new task was to raise $12.5 million through naming opportunities for educational and simulation spaces, as well as donations to endow chairs, grant scholarships, and fund fellowships.

The Caring Continuum Campaign was told through a wide-format booklet, filled with vivid imagery of nurse educators, and compelling statistics about the impending health care crisis. We used clear varnish on Sappi's white Lustro Offset Environment paper. Inserts used the varnish to add both a finishing touch, and emphasis. A folio, reminiscent of the first campaign, opens up to a beautiful photograph of one of our nursing students. The case statement was sent out in an extra-long converted envelope to make sure it would be noticed.

This campaign and it's accompanying DVD were submitted to the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. We received the silver award of excellence in the area of fundraising publications packages. This weekend I fly out to San Francisco to join our nursing development staff at the CASE District VII conference to receive the award.

Building the Future of Nursing Education

2009-11-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

In 2007, the University of Utah College of Nursing came to us with a goal of raising $8.5 million for expansion of teaching facilities. With a thorough understanding of who their primary audience is, we crafted a kit with impact that delivered. A bold envelope distinguished the piece from mail clutter. It opens to reveal a concise letter from the dean followed by an accordion-style brochure leveraged on high-impact and emotional photos of nurses in action. Supplemented with warm colors and a humanistic script, a concise call to actions gives the audience the opportunity to help build the future of nursing education. A business-reply envelope made submitting donations easy. The college met their goal in just a couple months.

Memphis Color Palette

2009-11-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

I finally found a way to design on my iPhone.

My personal project, while attending the AIGA Make|Think conference, was to capture the local color of Memphis with my phone's camera. Then I used the Pantone application to isolate swatches and e-mail myself ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) files. My goal was to be open and receptive to what turns up; not to force the colors. And I must say I'm pleased with the results. One stream of colors is called Mistaken Reds because I found a lot of red objects to photograph, only to discover they were browns, violets, even fuchsia. The Mississippi river eluded my perception and revealed hues that were darker and greener than the silt I thought I was seeing. This palette is inspired by neon, the Lorraine Motel, bricks and graffiti, the Beauty Shop restaurant and it's tasty drink The Crush, flowers growing between benches, monuments, and maybe even a little bit of soul.

Make|Think

2009-10-21T22:24:00.001-06:00

One of the coolest surprises on my trip to Memphis was to keep stumbling on these markers. The conference committee tagged our theme all across town and so I felt breadcrumbed in all my ambling. Nice to have a confirmation I was headed to interesting spots. And in classic designer "green" styling ... this ephemeral graffiti will self-vaporize.

Miss the Mississippi and You

2009-10-21T21:40:00.000-06:00

Fresh from my trip to Memphis, Tennessee for the AIGA conference, I had to post this photo from Mud Island. During free time before the conference kick-off I ventured across the sky-bridge to Mud Island listening to my iPod on shuffle to see a replica of the entire Mississippi River. The day before the trip Rosanne Cash released her new album The List. In a moment of serendipity, her cover of Miss the Mississippi and You came on as I was looking at this inlaid replica of Memphis on the Mississippi River, having just crossed in reality the model I was observing. It was a trio of Mississippis. A hallway of mirrors.

The next day we were treated to a presentation by Daniel Eatock about "circles". e.g. painting watercolors of water bottles using the water from the bottles as the medium. A tow truck towing a tow truck. etc. These are actually fairly common occurrences, but the point is you have to be attuned to catch them. That's one of many benefits to both travel and conferences: a wider view, new perspectives, a shaking from the norm.

Toner Tall Tales

2009-10-04T15:25:00.001-06:00

My Xpedx spec rep, Gina Girardi, asked me to create invitations and a poster for an upcoming event at the University of Utah's Print & Mail Services. She is bringing in a guru from Mohawk Paper. Chris Harrold will speak about newly-certified papers and other advances in digital printing. I'm looking forward to the event in just three days, the same day I leave for Memphis, TN for the national AIGA conference.

It was easy to take on Gina's theme of the digital guru with some recent inspirations: I just bought the fonts Phaeton by Umbrella and Fenwick by Typodermic; I have also been craving to use CSA Images new low-priced licensing for small jobs such as this. The vintage illustration is theirs. Everything came together with the right sense of whimsy I had hoped for. I wanted to do something decidely old-world and not too "digital."

I love Mohawk Papers and have made great use of their digital offerings. In the past year I have used Via Felt for events and covers; Via Smooth for this project; uncoated stock for numerous small jobs; and even a digital cast-coated sheet for a ground-breaking event at the U. I love the affordable prices and I am so excited we have these diverse options available for small press-runs.

No J

2009-09-07T19:59:00.000-06:00

I am currently reading Timothy Donaldson's Shapes For Sounds and am once again reminded that had I not been born when I was, I would not have had my name. J is the youngest letter of the Latin alphabet—only 300 years old against it's 2,700 year old counterparts.

Were we ancient Greeks, or Romans, my parents wouldn't have been able to name me Jesse. The Italians eventually used j as a long i—a consonant. And perhaps the ij ligature explains why Spanish-speaking people frequently pronounce my name Yesse. J, in fact, was minuscule first, and later made into a capital. Another letter trajectory that makes my monogram rather distinctive.

Yellow Study

2009-08-20T21:15:00.001-06:00

Who loves yellow? Designers do! Squint if you must, but look at this small book assortment: Modern Typography by Robert Kinross; 79 Short Essays on Design by Michael Beirut; Copywriting by Mark Shaw; FontShop font booklet; AIGA 365 edition 29; Chronicle Books' Stretch Deck; National Geographic magazine; Rite in the Rain all-weather writing paper pocket notebook; Knock Knock pocket notes.

To round out my yellow study, a still life of objects found 'round the house: bed sheets; towels; Kleenex; Sea Salt Neroli Lotion by Caldrea; a project calculator; Klein Tools wire cutter; West Elm scoop-back chair; Verner Panton chair; my Tweety Bird bucket with a sunflower from the yard; and wall paint with the dreadful name: Lovely Lemon Light. Not pictured is my other basement room painted in a yellow called Gabriel's Horn. Apparently paint color copywriters were marketing to old ladies and somehow sucked me into their web. I am not ashamed. I may have cringed at my mother's yellow kitchen growing up, complete with yellow stools and china hutch. But today I'm a proud homeowner, and Mom—I understand.

Oh, and that font: P22 Brass Script Pro.

Dangerous Typography

2009-08-02T17:16:00.000-06:00

Leave it to typography to stop me dead in my tracks ... despite the rain. Despite being on my way to a party at a New York museum to meet other designers. I had to move fast to catch this bus before it was gone; and the real truth behind this photo is I immediately e-mailed it back to my junior designer, Laurie, who turned me on to Showtime's Dexter just months previous. I knew she'd get a kick out it. Most of us designers are sucker's for faux magazine covers. For the instant gratification of using a resplendent and distinctive combination of text and type that just screams "__fill in the masthead__". Are we as serial as the cable killer in our grandiose imaginations? Looking back on this photo, taken Oct. 2008, I am seeing what a luscious mash-up of letterforms surrounds the subject. The art nouveaux shape of the Roxy; the compressed grotesque of the municipal fire lane; the modernity of the window graphic in the foreground. So much to take in. I remember the rain, and the prank. I had to rely on a snapshot to really see how much else I was missing. Including the continuity of type through the ages, both real and imagined.

Fastenation

2009-07-19T21:01:00.000-06:00

Designers love posters. Designers also love evidence of posters. I was mesmerized by this telephone pole in Midtown Atlanta waiting to cross the street. How many concerts, programs, lost pets, missing people, declarations, yard sales, public notices—you get the idea—have hung here? Designers also love anything that fastens. This is my ode to adhesives and evidence.

Rags to Riches

2009-07-02T19:57:00.000-06:00

Rags make paper, 

Paper makes money, 

Money makes banks, 

Banks make loans, 

Loans make beggars, 

Beggars make Rags. 

Anon, l8th.C.

This is a quote I came across in the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at Georgia Tech. The museum is comprehensive and informative, yet entertaining and something you can experience without the fatigue many museums tend to induce. The most vivid memories I have from that visit are the exquisite and sculptural watermark exhibits. Despite their two-dimensional reality, they really pop off the page. It would feel like a crime to write upon a sheet of paper such as this coronation image of Queen Elizabeth II (above.)

Recycled Leather from Italy

2009-06-02T22:24:00.000-06:00

On a recent trip to Carmel, California I found a tiny shop called Material Goods that sold some products by San Lorenzo. They have a series of desk products made from natural regenerated leather. Scraps of leather are cut up and mixed with rubber, creating a soft, but durable, finish. The notebook I bought is dyed bright orange, which matches my Russell and Hazel calendar. I've decided to use the San Lorenzo book to keep notes on fonts and typography. I also enjoyed talking with the proprietress of Material Goods. She's been to Utah before, and told me where her favorite candy shop is. Treats all around!

Bar Code Deluxe

2009-05-26T14:13:00.000-06:00

I recently bought this gem of a catalogue from P22 type foundry. It's exquisite with it's black felt cover, deckle edges, metallic inks, die-cut, translucent sheets and Mohawk's superfine paper throughout. But the thing I had to capture is it's debossed bar code on the back. I have not seen anyone do that yet. Don't know if it's permissible, or an artistic statement on utility vs. aesthetics. Either way, it was a delight. The actual content of the book needs to be seen to be appreciated. And this collector's piece from P22 is one that will surely call back to me again and again.

Souvenirs de Voyage

2009-04-05T10:59:00.000-06:00

Souvenirs de Voyage, published by Chronicle Books, was a gift from my friend Heather. It has glassine envelopes to hold ephemera or press flowers to dry in, and then blank pages you can glue your souvenirs to, and write about. I don't actually take mine on trips, though. I use the envelopes and pockets to hold themed bits of ephemera until I have enough to make a collage. In a way, it's like a junk drawer full of scraps I just can't toss, yet hope to be able to use one day. This spread has two collages. One, apparently, is some bizarre ode to Mormon women. The other is a German butcher and his wife. Such is the case with collage, or souvenirs, these scraps hold deep memories: there's a box of Windsor & Newton ink that I have had since high school, scraps from a german dictionary I've carried since junior high, an Easter candy wrapper from Siegfrieds circa 2002, a scrap from a poem my sister Diana wrote, photos I bought in Colorado, etc.

Cookbook as Journal

2009-03-18T00:05:00.001-06:00

For the past decade I have been recording notes in my cookbooks. By now they are a journal of sorts; a gustatory camera.

Bullets in the index rank my achievements. Scrawls throughout the chapters denote changes made, mistakes to avoid, and a surprising amount of recollections: the Antipasto Italian Roll-Ups were not only great for camping, but just the words Tony Grove July '04 bring a rush of memories: the toy turtle on the rocks I mistook for a real baby, and cycling for only the second time since college.

Cookbooks also are a great way to use of many of my favorite paper products. I use Russel and Hazel sticky-notes at the back of the books to remind me "best lunches" or "worth a repeat" categories. By now, they also boast a bevy of yet-to-try dishes I'd need three more lives of cooking to catch up to. I also use Chronicle Book's fancy labels on the inside front covers to remember entire menu's. A great way to retain what would otherwise have been transient treasures, such as Jill Bliss and Lotta Jansdotter's inspired work. I even use Bob's Your Uncle page markers when cooking from multiple pages in one book. Basically, my cookbooks have transcended their utility as food resource. Sometimes they feel like napoleons of paper delights!

Noa Noa / Chronicle Books

2009-03-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Noa Noa was an impulse buy in college. Little did I realize it was the beginning of a passionate relationship with Chronicle Books. After I had accumulated a few more extraordinary books I started noticing this curious little eyeglass logo and decided I needed to learn more about Chronicle. That was maybe 15 years ago. Since, I’ve gone out of my way to order their catalogue each year so I’d know what to save up for. Then I started finding myself influenced by their design aesthetics. Now it’s more than just a crush—I’ve grown to accommodate my life for Chronicle Books. Noa Noa (Fragrant, Fragrant) was an easy first fling. The construction was plainly attentive and of superior quality. Font choice and layout were so complementary I found myself as drawn to the elements as I was the content. I still don’t know what the book face is, but coupled with the curious distressed script and his actual handwriting—it’s a perfect marriage. Throw in an enchanting trip to Tahiti and a mix of judiciously-selected sketchbook drawings and one might never recover. It’s such an exotic and splendid journey, art history would be so much more interesting if other books were styled after this manner.

Life With the Pomegranate

2009-02-15T12:20:00.001-07:00

This is a handmade book by my friend Evie Marenco, circa 2005. Evie has been an inspiration to me for years, and her book is a treasure. It's a collection of experiences with pomegranates, and how they connect her family through generations. Evie dyed the paper, printed and bound the book herself. It includes pomegranate-like beads on the stitching of the spine; and the book opens up to make a star. Between the french-fold pages are red sheets of paper so the book resembles a pomegranate itself, with the little disc's like the discovery of seeds held in the pith. Evie weaves imagery from playing cards throughout, which adds graphic impact as well as an extra layer of fun and personal meaning.

Fortune Teller

2009-02-08T11:56:00.001-07:00

After the DaVinci notebooks were printed, I sent some copies to Red Horseshoe, since the project was sort of an homage to them, at least for me on a personal level. Robert Moore, one of the principles, sent me back a lovely note and this beautiful tin plate with their fortune teller artwork on it. It's an absolute treasure. I have been collecting their wares for years and years, even ordering direct before they had online outlets for resale. When my backpack was stolen years back, the most painful loss was my treasured Rodeo King Red Horseshoe notebook. I had been to a Patty Griffin concert the night before and my notebook had poems I wrote during the show. What a loss.

DaVinci Sketchbook

2009-02-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite projects I've had the privilege to design was the pocket-sized DaVinci notebook. This was created for The University of Utah as a free hand-out to all visitors of Gunther VanHagen's Body Worlds 3, hosted at the Leonardo on Library Square in Salt Lake City. Demand was high, and we re-printed the book mid-way through the exhibit run. A quarter-million books in total. The design was influenced by Red Horseshoe (dimensions, rounded corners); the art was all royalty-free images from DaVinci's sketchbooks. The cover stock is Smart Paper's Carnival Cordwain, which has a leather-like embossed surface. The insides are Mohawk, a soft white printed with gold metallic ink. The gold isn't overpowering, since it's an uncoated sheet, but it gives it the shimmer that you might get from lead and makes the piece too special to throw away. My moment of delight: going to lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in a year and she told me how her daughter got this free sketchbook at the Body World's exhibit and filled it up with sketches, 'cause Jessica may want to become a forensic artist. She thought that was the neatest thing. It was neater for me to hear.

Grandpa's Art Supplies

2009-01-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

My cousin Karen and I went out to dinner last night to visit, and to share Grandpa's art supplies. Grandpa started painting after he retired; primarily landscapes from calendars and magazines; and did so for about 30 years. I believe all his progeny has a painting to keep. The fruits of his labor are the real treat; but Karen and I have inherited Grandpa's tackle-box full of oils, brushes, erasers, drafting equipment, a nut cracker (to loosen the caps from tubes of paint) and other miscellany. Seems all of Grandpa's passions were something that could be shared: fishing meant time together, as did religion, and he freely gave away his paintings. They've always been a delight but now they're true tokens of remembrance. Orrin Tether Colby, 1914—2008.

Andrew Wyeth, 1917-2009

2009-01-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

A memorable excursion from our honeymoon was stopping in Rockland, Maine to visit the Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center. Andrew Wyeth is more iconic of American art (for me) than Rockwell or Hopper. In fact, at age 15 I attempted to copy a Wyeth watercolor (above) to get a sense of his method. In college I also tried egg tempura to amateur effect (detail above right.) Wyeth's paintings help me adjust to aging, the stillness of life, authenticity and letting go. His work demonstrates an extraordinary capacity for visual mediums to reveal life's deepest, most personal contemplations.

West Coast Dist-O-Map

2009-01-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here is Grandma Bettie's Dist-O-Map. I can't believe she said we could have it. When we were moving her last year she unloaded tons of stuff but the Dist-O-Map might be my favorite acquisition. Just the look of it makes me want to get in the car and drive. Why ... it's only 544 miles to Carson City!

Chicago World's Fair 1933-34

2009-01-16T22:35:00.001-07:00

My paper spec rep took me to lunch this week. On a recent trip to New York she found a vintage souvenir notebook from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Camille bought it for me, and then paired it with these postcards from the same event. The postcards come from her neighbor, now deceased, whom I share my name with. Jesse passed away having lived 100 years, and Camille said he'd be happy to know these tokens continue to be shared with someone who would enjoy them. Camille, always thoughtful and inspiring, has made my week. These new additions really boost the profile of my discovered vintage ephemera. Perhaps in a future entry I'll include treasures from the garage, and maybe even Grandma Bettie's driving wheel.

National Park font-o-gram

2008-04-20T10:56:00.000-06:00

I'm obsessed with National Park fonts. They're so inspired, relaxing and iconic. A recent trip to Capitol Reef resulted in this little "font-o-gram" to my friend Heather, who once proposed we redesign the Classifieds after National Park fonts. Luckily we've both moved on from the newspaper, but we haven't abandoned our passion for NPFs.

Agenda

2007-12-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm nearly ready for 2008. My year-end rituals include setting up the new calendar and organizing greeting cards by month. I buy too many. So if you get a birthday card from me it's probably in this photo. But at this stage I'm more pleased with the sense of order (thank you Russel + Hazel and Your M.O.) than I am with the enticing artwork. It's the crispness of the New Year that propels me forward. January will come and go like it always does, but this last week of December is like getting ready for a big event. I'm ironed, polished, and ready to be entertained.

Journey Book

2007-12-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

I bought this hand-made book from lovelydesign.com. I've been using it the last few years as Postcards to Myself, a journey book wherein I write my travel itineraries on postcards and mail them back to myself. Though I always pack it, I seem to be too lazy to take my camera with me on excursions. Instead, I've taken to collecting paper ephemera, then gluing them into my journey book when I return. I fashion pockets to tuck my postcards into, like this one from Chez Panisse where we ate last December while staying with Lupé and Levi in San Francisco. I'm desperate to travel again ... it's been a year since that vacation. So I turn back to my journey book to remember previous trips: Atlanta, Seattle, Victoria B.C. I have room left in the book. Just need a ticket to anywhere.

Reverence for the Leaves

2007-12-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Time to share a treasure. Three years after graduation I finally had the courage to attempt to send Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple as well as my favorite poet, a series of paintings I did as a student based upon her work. The assignment was to make a stencil and use it over and over to create a series of paintings with a nice relationship to each other. I made a stencil from a leaf I found, and then created conceptual paintings based upon poem fragments from Alice Walker's anthology Her Blue Body Everything We Know. My series is titled Reverence for the Leaves. Though it took a lot of phone calls and being shuffled around, I was surprised how easy it was to get connected to her assistant, whom I unfortunately woke up one morning. Nevertheless, she gave me her address, and I sent a copy of the series to Ms. Walker care of her assistant—uncertain she'd ever actually see it. Shortly after Valentines Day, 1998, I received not only a card back from Alice Walker herself, but it was a handmade card on construction paper with a photo she took in Cuba taped to the front. Flattered beyond belief, I share it here.

Letterpressed

2007-11-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Sept. 2002. After picking up my wedding announcements made by a letterpress craftsman in Provo, UT, I dropped by my Alma Mater to catch an illustration exhibit. There were cases of old metal type stored in the back lobby. I was mesmerized and stole a letter V. A theft. A memento. A taxation. Oct. 2002. Honeymooning in Bar Harbor, ME, I called a craftsman I read about in a magazine who makes shadowbox collages with actual wood type. I thought it would be a fun wedding gift, but they never responded. Nov. 2007. We dropped by a consignment shop that had miscellaneous metal and wood type and I had to get more. A blue rubber band is less attractive than a shadowbox but the V has company now, and to keep it sentimental I picked out our new house number. Since I'm currently in love with ligatures I also had to get the double f.

McSweeney's Collection Complete!

2007-09-08T22:54:00.000-06:00

I'm thrilled to have finally completed my McSweeney's Quarterly Concern collection. It took me a long time to start. I actually remember skimming the first few issues and thinking this is unique; yet not really liking the stories. I actually recall holding boxed issue #4 (the most collectible one) and still not buying it. Seven years later I paid $100 for it. Some collections make you suffer. But McSweeney's also inspires. I am so jealous of Dave Eggers' graphic design achievements on top of his literary success. Just last night, randomly, I was thumbing through the current Print magazine and they had an article on McSwys knock-offs. It was very interesting because McSwys borrowed from older design and text standards, but somehow modernized them. So are copycats truly plagiarizing? Or has McSwys developed into a new idiom? Anyway, from my first purchase in Seattle to the used copies bought from Powell's in Portland, and local Ken Sander's bookstore ... I am caught up! So now I'm keeping a McSweeney's diary beginning with issue No. 1 and I'm going to re-read them all and record the good parts, as well as thoughts on McSwys. That way when I want a good read, I'll know what to skip over and where to indulge.

Green Study

2007-08-11T11:20:00.000-06:00

Looks like I've fallen susceptible to current marketing trends in the same shade of green. It began with Mrs. Meyer's lemon verbena laundry products and has culminated in me painting my laundry room the same color, courtesy of Yolo Colorhouse's "Leaf 07." Along the way I have beefed up my Russel+Hazel armada (punctuated by Bob's Your Uncle sticky bookmarkers.) Le Creuset's dutch oven is flanked by numerous other kitchen supplies culled from my favorite local haunt: Hip & Humble. Makes Me Happy pocket notebook by Red Horseshoe. Cooking Light's annual recipes from 2004. Laundry bin by Restoration Hardware. Towel by Target. Suave's Lime Verbena lotion. Golden delicious apple from Utah's finest grocer: Harmons. Will the green madness cease now that I have documented it?

Music as Tree Rings

2007-07-07T20:10:00.000-06:00

Each move requires re-establishing the music catalogue. This time around I realized what a snapshot in time the medium represents. I suppose we could carbon-date backward through eight-track to phonograph and realize they demark distinct periods in history. I happen to have the Indigo Girls on both tape and CD; but has OK GO been on anything but MP3? So I realized my cassettes represent basically 1985 (age 12: first tape ... Anne Murray's A Little Good News) to 1998 (Great Expectations soundtrack ... discount rack ... only wanted the Tori Amos songs.) Anyway, I found myself making a bar chart on the floor. Analysis informs me: Queensryche is the solitary Q; I never bought ZZ Top; and that precious Anne Murray collection must be what pushed the M's above all else.