Photo by J. Scott Bovitz

I can’t really explain this one, but the other day I was browsing the library (one of all-time my favorite things to do) and this book popped out at me, the way books sometimes will do: American Ironwork: An Historical Sketch.

I took it off the shelf and spent 10 minutes looking at it. The ironwork in it was so incredible and inspiring, that I had to make a copy of a couple of the pages to hang on my office wall.

I’m not sure where this is taking me, or why, but it’s so geometric and balanced and soothing. I guess that’s what I go for in design: geometry, balance, and–oh, what would the noun be? I don’t know. Let me know if you can think of a noun to make out of the verb “to sooth.” Where is my English PhD candidate husband when I need him?

In the meantime, I’m posting an image to give you a rough idea.

The tagline for my design super alterego, redfrau, is “rhymes with wow.” I stumbled upon this accidentally when, back in 2003, I sent my newly launched redfrau site out to my friend, Beth. Buried in the copy was the phrase, as a brief explanation of how to pronounce the German word for woman/wife. She wrote back with the compliment: “Rhymes with wow!”

It took me six more years to get it, dig it out, and stick it out there on top. Rhymes with wow. Makes it easy to pronounce, sounds like I actually like what I do (and I do). But beyond that, how do you get to that wow? So here’s where I want to explore that. What inspires me, things I’ve learned (and am still learning) along the way, stuff I like. The stuff that wows me.

Okay, enough of that.

It’s hard to know where to start; the beginning? ABC? The letters. Long before I knew what a graphic designer was, I was in love with letters. I used to sit and draw them, designing different ways of writing them. One of my particular favorites has always been the lowercase e. It’s so open and round, and yet sharp in the middle. (I still haven’t read “A Void” by Georges Perec, but I have read W, or, the Memory of Childhood, which is a great book.)  I love how certain serif typefaces are totally creamy and elegant. Nothing compares to Bembo’s lowercase italic squiggly g. It’s buttery and elegant and totally art. I could look at it all day.