I’m slipping in right under the wire for the July contest. Leave a comment below and win one of these recycled metal letters from Urban Oufitters. You choose the letter from the selection they have left (which is small, and shrinking by the second!) Because of that, this contest is a quickie — it ends on Monday, August 4th at noon est. Let me know which letter you’d like in your comment.

This reminded me of one of my favorite Sesame Street skits growing up. The one I remember best has Lefty offering Ernie an E, but the only one I could find on YouTube is “O”. Watching it again now, I see that the drug overtones went completely over my innocent head. An overcoated man trying to surreptitiously sell you something on the street? What could possibly be wrong with that? It does make me rethink my position a tiny bit on this New York Times article from November 2007. I am still a total Sesame Street fan (thankfully I have two kids under 6 to give me a legit reason to keep watching), but at least I understand why the producers of Sesame Street: Old School felt the need to declare: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

Good luck with the contest!

I wish I had a better image of these two posters. I saw them around Northampton (Massachusetts) a couple of weeks ago, and have been wishing that I designed them ever since. Are these fabulous? They only appear together, and the layout, typography, color palette and photography make me swoon. That split ampersand? Gorgeous. The way that each poster reads “she & him” individually, yet also read “she & him” when put together? Genius.

I am not the most music literate person around, so I’d never heard of she & him but if I could get a sitter I’d go to the show to see if the music is as good as the design.

If anyone knows who designed this poster, let me know. I have a few guesses based on the local suspects, but I’d love to give credit — it’s due.

Most graphic designers hope to do work that means something, that resonates with them and also makes a positive difference in the world. The reality is that, yes, there are jobs, clients, and projects which make you feel great. Things that you can believe in, and design work that you’re proud of. There are also the “filler” jobs. It would be wonderful to live the ideal all the time, but bills need to be paid and food needs to be on the table. These jobs aren’t offesive in any way, but they’re not exactly inspiring. A catalog for a septic system installer, a web site for a property management company, a logo for a hardware store. Fine, needed work, but nothing noble.

Then there are the other jobs. Would you design an ad for cigarettes? How about for a political candidate you don’t endorse? A company who publicly supports a cause you don’t believe in? How about a trade magazine for the fur industry?

I did. I was the art director for Fur Age Magazine from 1996-1998.

Taking that job required a lot of soul searching. On the positive side, it was an amazing opportunity for someone with only a few years of experience in design. I not only did a complete magazine redesign, but I laid out every editorial page of the magazine and the cover, did the technical production, and the photography art direction for each issue. I worked directly with the photographer, editor and printer. I hired models, decided on photo shoot locales, and chose the makeup artists and hair stylists. And I had absolute free rein over the design. It was incredible.

On the negative side, I don’t wear fur. It’s not something that I could ever see myself buying. And, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really believe in it.

But…

I do eat meat. And wear leather. And I absolutely believe in each individual’s right to choose her own path and follow her own beliefs. And, when it came right down to it, it was too good of a job to pass up.

But did I do the right thing? I still don’t know. We all like to think that there are lines we wouldn’t cross, and I certainly believe that about myself. I do an enormous amount of non-profit work at a discount for organizations I believe in (none fur industry related). Given the same opportunity now, I wouldn’t take it. But I’m ten years further along in my career and I don’t need the experience or the money the way I did back then.

What do you think? Have you ever had a similar experience? What did you choose?

Check out this fabulous video following the progress of a magazine layout. FYI, the designer is using InDesign. My favorite part is when he just gives up on the headline and inserts a row of Xs. I’d guess that he just got the sixty-seventh email from his editor saying, “Sorry, but we changed the head again.” Been there.

Via Quipsologies.

Thanks for all of your links (and inspired Etsy obsessions). Congratulations, Alison. I only counted one of your posts (well, I doubled it because you posted a link), but you’re the winner. Please email me your mailing address and I’ll get the notecards to you.

July contest coming soon!