Thursday, February 4th, 2010
We’ve had this little book in our library for some time now. Callum recently took a journey to Scotland, and he brought back with him a pirate’s bounty – in book form. Somehow a few of these books got lost in the shuffle, and it wasn’t until I needed some creative energy this past Tuesday that I discovered “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be”. The aforementioned book, written by Paul Arden, is an anecdotal look at creative processes. Many of these anecdotes may be obvious, however they are often overlooked in everyday life. I found the book to be the shot in the arm I needed to continue creating and be inspired to do so. I recommend reading the book, as it serves as a reminder that altering your perspective can keep us fresh and help us to continue to progress as individuals.



Tags: books, Paul Arden, Phaidon books
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Thursday, January 14th, 2010
I’ve recently been suffering from writer’s blog. Call it the post-holiday blues. Today, however, with our server down and a little free time to surf the interweb, I discovered some inspiration to light a fire under my arse. A new weekly feature at Grafik Magazine will see Jon Dowling of Counter-Print list fifty essential books that any self-respecting graphic designer should own. I’m always interested to see what other designers read, and in 2010 I’d like to expand my horizons in terms of breadth of material read. 50 books looks like a good place to start.

Tags: 50 Books, books, Counter-Print, Design Books, Grafik Magazine
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
I will admit, I am not a huge reader. I’d like to be, but the reality is I am a bit out of practice. It took me about as long to read this book as it took Bill Bryson to actually complete his journey through the Appalachians. That being said, it was literally a “laugh out loud” journey, with Bill and his friend Stephen providing the comic antics. At the time they were plodding miserably through forests, over mountains and in icy streams, I’m sure they were not thinking “this is freakin’ funny”, but trust me, it had its moments of true hilarity. A highly recommended read.
There was talk in the office the other day about what inspires each of us (I was actually absent for this discussion but I was brought up to speed later). In consideration of this topic, this book came to mind. Even though there was more trials and tribulations in this story than there was jubilation, it made me want to throw on a pack and go hiking. As I thought about the idea of inspiration a little more, I realized it wasn’t so much this book that inspired me but the idea of doing something out of the norm (at least for me as I haven’t been hiking for several years). New experiences of almost any kind are inspirational to me, so this year - call this my new year’s resolution - I am going to make an attempt to try new things. Goodbye countless nights in front of the TV and hello to a new and exciting 2010!

Tags: bill, books, bryson, hiking, Inspiration, walk, woods
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Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
99 posts. 99 good times.
Our subjects have been varied; rants & raves, tributes to our favourite designers, sharing a laugh… We’re still new to the blogosphere, but we’re showing no signs of slowing down. In honour of our 100th post we present: Bibliographic: 100 Classic Graphic Design Books.
Now go grab a pen and put it on your Christmas list. You know you want to.

Tags: books, graphic design
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Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
If you’re looking to add to your (probably already too-large-to-ever-read-them-all) collection of design books, head over to Counter-Print. They specialize in carrying hard-to-find or out-of-print design and art related books. There is some striking material to choose from, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find it hard to resist adding yet one more beautiful space taker to your repertoire.

Tags: books, Inspiration
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