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Category Archives: design

My favorite gifts are the ones I’d never thought to want

Saturday, May 22, 2010

A SLEW OF VINTAGE FREIGHT COMPANY PADS were my booty from Sarah’s recent trip to Salem (Oregon), quirky artifacts from the Early Modern era of office stationery scored at a flea market. They’re nice to have by a desk phone (preferably corded), with an in-between size and parchment-like surface that’s good for drawing. You gotta [...]

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The importance of being earnest

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Saying “thank you” isn’t hard for me. It comes as naturally as “I’m sorry” and “I’ll have whatever’s cheapest.” Yet every December I am struck dumb by the task of acknowledging my clients. Some people are blessed with an instinct for smart and sincere giving; this is not one of my gifts. My five years [...]

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Morel clarity

Friday, December 4, 2009

I’VE FOUND A NEW PRODUCTIVITY ZONE in my day between 10 and midnight, so I’m jumping on this year’s handmade gift program. Steve Davis a/k/a Hank Piece comes through with a new batch of tunes to share every year, and I haven’t reciprocated in a while. To say thanks, I made an homage in glass [...]

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Desire

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I’m someone who doesn’t buy much, which could be seen as a liability in my profession. How am I supposed to persuade anyone to purchase things if I can’t persuade myself? I think of it more as an occupational side effect. Thinking and writing about products is my 9-5, so it’s “happy hour” when I [...]

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Me on Chank

Monday, December 29, 2008

A piece I did for MnArtists.org has been published, a profile of fontmeister Chank Diesel. Rereading it, my pedantic tendencies are striking. Hopefully readers will machete through to the better parts. Even if you don’t give a flip about typography, Chank’s art-from-everyday philosophy is inspiring. Here’s an excerpt: Putting the tools of type design into [...]

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Basement editions

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

I picked up the soldering iron more often then expected this spring. And while the cuts and solders are crude and the material choices feel arbitrary, the ideas and the pieces keep improving. Ira Glass’s pep talk to wannabe storytellers is relevant for any enterprise: you have to face a lot of bad work until [...]

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