Aaron James Draplin

Draplin runs a one-man studio in Portland, Oregon, and the work is instantly identifiable: thick lines, heavy weights, and a fondness for the visual language of American industry and highway signage. The book is part monograph and part memoir, moving between logo sheets and stories about his father, the vans he has driven and the merchandise table at the back of the room. He co-founded the pocket notebook line Field Notes with Coudal Partners, and has designed for Nike, Ford and the Obama administration. He argues throughout for showing the ugly early drafts rather than only the finished mark, which is most of what makes the book useful to anyone learning.