Library Rapture

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.

Yellow Study

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.

Souvenirs de Voyage

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.

Noa Noa / Chronicle Books

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.