staying astonished

i think i can earnestly say that this book is the coolest thing i've seen in a long time. at points where it feels like i can't help but become bogged down as a designer with things like intention (is it ok to indulge in the fun, seemingly purposeless, stuff?) and sheer quantity (why would i want to add to this mess? what can i offer that hasn't already been done?) it helps have a friend who finds such a gem of a guide book for only 25 cents in the used book section of the school library. circa 1941. no joke. and they're practically giving it away. it's a falling in love all over again feeling.

these are some of my favorite pages:




i especially love the "posters help school activities" page. today was my first day of ta-ing (if that's even a word) the graphic design class for pre-college this summer. i loved hearing what each student had to say about why they're interested in graphic design. it seems like just yesterday i was in their high school shoes and designing multi-pronged ad campaigns for things like sadies or battle of the bands, slowly realizing that i was on to something.

on a side note, we watched a few artists videos in the class as well (after seeing helvetica, of course) and this was one hillman curtis video i hadn't seen: milton glaser. just thought i'd share. a wise old man with words on things i've been thinking about: responsibility (family/city/world), teaching ("projecting into the future"), and astonishment (reminding yourself that you've never seen it all).