how to write

by david ogilvy. probably the only memo written 30 years ago that's still absolutely relevant.

bill

i often ask myself, who would i most like to have a beer and good conversation with? the answer changes a lot, but one of the regular contenders is bill clinton. (so is hillary, btw). the man is smart. and he talks about issues that normally make my head spin, in a way that i can understand and relate to. his newsweek article on the job crisis is worth a read. via good.

what does that say?

a cool project by craig goldham. via qbn.

The HAND.WRITTEN.LETTER.PROJECT was after a conversation about how personal a letter can be: a fact that is currently drowning in a tide of depersonalisation, with junk mail and automated correspondence.

Dr. Shit

any news article that begins with, "His mother calls him Dr. Shit, but she means no disrespect," is going to make me read it. fascinating write-up on a civil engineer studying wastewater in the UMN Alumni mag.

two books to add to your queue

alain de botton's the pleasures and sorrows of work

bill bryson's the life and times of the thunderbolt kid

phenomenal, no exaggeration.

a good read

by aharon rabinowtiz

john hodgman

following comedians on twitter is such a nice day break.

six word story

my mom just sent me a fun article on six word stories everyday, started by van horgen and anne ulku. writing doesn't have to be daunting after all. there's a new collection started for 2011 and taking submissions. and, what do you know, one of my old high school pals, rob pflaum, has designed day #369, do healthy what you promised sick. small world.

new work

I've had the pleasure of working at Opolis the last few months while one of their fine designers took sabbatical. Great people, amazing work and an office puppy to boot, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. They introduced me to Grand Central egg salad sandwiches, I introduced them to Jimmy Johns #1 with BBQ chips...it was a win-win. I owe them props for two new (and seriously fun to work on) projects,
Dr. Martens holiday and Captivate + Motivate, an identity for an inspirational speaker. Thanks for having me, Opolis!

unmakeable

J and I were just talking about Jonathan Safran Foer last night, such a unique author. This new book might be his most inventive yet! I keep asking myself "how?" via swissmiss and fast co

facebook discovered

i feel like everyone i know has seen the social network. (again, i love the timberlake). these humorous illustrations from fast company are, well, humorous.

word

this is so true. via iLOVE and ffffound

multi-lingual

i dig this system. he makes it look easy, but designing mult-language collateral is such a challenge. I've never been able to do it well, nice to see someone who can. by eduardo del fraile via qbn

tot-a-lot

Such a great idea for a surprisingly untapped market, twins. It could be really cool if they started doing twin series similar to Camper shoes,which are tempting my impulse buy. by WESEMUA via dieline

commidiot

why design by committee should die, an amusing and gratifying article by speider schneider on the frustrations of occupation by design. maybe designer support groups will start popping up: "my name is nat and i'm a designer," says disparaged designer. "hi nat," says crowd in thick framed spectacles. via swiss miss

beer from around here

it's a witty beer, that's for sure. fun copy and design for red brick beer by 22squared via the dieline. "as thick and stout as a bbq line cook."

bureau of betterment

i've been in portland 3 weeks and have had the pleasure of meeting lots of new people and a handful of creatives too. last week we met up at the studio of bureau for betterment, a darling work space in the pearl district, home to designer mette hornung rankin and lots of beautiful danish furniture that made me drool. her blog is filled with great sketches and other such illustrations of her day to day life (click to enlarge) and i love reading all the funny details. thanks for tour and for the inspiration to look at life a little closer, mette!

your brain on computers

a good read. we've been trying to implement "no iphone" dinners. i love the tiny details that are added into ny times articles. via swissmiss

blanket statement

great name for this event celebrating the launch of hudson bay's new line. to celebrate and to generate some great PR (as I would imagine), HB blankets were made into one of a kind designer coats. i love the thick striped ones. via CDR

contrast socks

fun way to market a simple product by townhouse via oh joy