What Do You Give a Designer?
Maybe I just haven't come across them but there don't seem to be very many gifts geared specifically to designers. Oh sure, there's some neat stuff in the merch area of Veer's site—that Lorem Ipsum bird t-shirt is definitely me. But beyond that, is there anything in a small package that could be counted on to bring a smile to the face of a fellow designer?
Well, I may have stumbled onto something in the form of a modest yet charming little book by Catherine Fishel. Entitled 401 Design Meditations, it's published by Rockport Press, known for its quality books on graphics and design. Fishel has collected "wisdom, insights and intriguing thoughts from 244 leading designers," presented in a nicely designed and illustrated package.
The term "designers" is used rather loosely here, since beyond the presence of such heavyweights as Milton Glaser and Clement Mok you'll also encounter everyone from Voltaire to Eric Clapton, all weighing in with their two bits on the creative process. Set in a hodge-podge of typefaces, with full-page illustrations from the contributors liberally sprinked about, it all sounds rather random, but an organization into such sections as Vision and Responsibility keeps the project from imploding.
The result is not something you read in one sitting but rather dip into from time to time. There are only a few duds among the quotes, ensuring the happy recipient of your gift will think kindly of you for a long time to come.
It's hard to pick a favorite amongst all the bon mots, but Bill Gardner, of Gardner Design, was on to something when he said: "Every night I pray that clients with taste will get money and clients with money will get taste."
Chris Dickman
Editor, Graphics.com
I don't know if giving a designer YADB (Yet Another Design Book) is exactly what a gift calls for.
Skyler -- okay, then even better, give it to your clients!
Don't think you mentioned the Mikro Man sculptures on the Veer site which are cool gifts.