On Collecting Reference & Inspiration

Protecting Ephemera and Resisting the Ephemeral

Nothing New Under the Sun

We all create from context. Art, Design, Music, Literature…it all comes from somewhere. I’m convinced everything we make is, at some level, a remix as we build and recombine and isolate and mash up our experiences and interests and ambitions.

I’m ok with this. In fact I like that everything I make somehow is connected to either my own experience, another human, or some mix of both.

Gutenberg is believed to have been influenced by the page shaping and calligraphy of scribal manuscripts. His famous Gutenberg Bible visually builds upon a long tradition of manuscripts, book making, and calligraphy/writing. And because of that, his work “belonged” to the visual timeline that had been established before him.

Susan Kare was influenced by needlepoint when designing those first Macintosh icons. Although she had experience setting type, the stories seem to reveal that her fine art experience was the primary influence upon her when orchestrating pixels in those early user interface designs.

Tobias Frere-Jones developed the font Gotham based on visual ideas from vintage Port Authority terminal lettering. The geometric concepts, the lettering and signage work, the “common-ness” of the designs were the foundation for what is arguably one of the most recognized typefaces in use today.

In essence, each of these designers stood on the shoulders of those who came before them, and is stronger for it. And there is a very real chance that if the previous work wasn’t there for reference and inspiration, their next-generation work may never have come to fruition.

I think it’s very important to embrace influence and context as a creator. It’s very, very hard to create strong and informed work in isolation. If nothing else, by absorbing and dissecting the visual choices of those who came before us we can short-cut our own development. At best, we can learn from and improve upon the legacy of previous designers and artists through our own work, and carry their contributions forward for the next generation — weaving a beautiful tapestry of influence and inspiration.

The Voice of the Artist

If indeed everything we do is either built on the shoulders of the labor and insights of the generations before us or the advances of our contemporaries, then of course we need to have the ability to observe their work.

And this is my concern: in this digital age the ephemeral nature of “the feed” or the algorithm is eroding our visual foundation, threatening our ability to create a cohesive history. If we are not intentional, all too often we neither choose what we see nor do we have a record of it beyond some vague remembrance.

I was talking with another designer lately, and several times in our conversation we would mention another artist or designer’s work, but we would be nearly unable to remember who the creator was! We might be able to recall the work, or the vibe, or the message. Perhaps one of us could describe their profile picture/icon. The other person might remember their handle or pseudonym.

I’ve observed this in myself at times, but I had just figured it was my artistic absent-mindedness. However, it became concerning during our conversation how often it was occurring!

At worst: we are removing the power of the artist if their work is only consumed as a product or as a distraction. The artist who has spent years honing their craft, career, and perspective becomes less than a ghost for the machine with their voice and story removed — lacking permanence and a voice.

I don’t know what we can do to provide a richer experience for our online audiences, viewers, readers. The only partial solution I can offer might be investing in “storytelling” to go along with our work, but that does little to influence how our work is distributed and broadcast in feeds and in search.

However, I know one thing we can do as artists, designers, creators — a simple way to take a measure of control over our own development…

Artist and Designer friends: we need to be building our own archives outside of the feed or online collections. For ourselves, for those before us, and for those after us.

In short: it’s our job to collect and look at cool stuff, to protect the creative expressions of others and ourselves .

Start Collecting Cool Stuff

At my Studio’s Christmas Open House last year, I was generously given a small gift by a lady that came by. She had stumbled upon a vintage Speedball lettering handbook, immediately thought of me, and had graciously held onto it for several months until that day.

I can’t even tell you how thrilled I was to have one of these books in my hands!

Selected spreads from the Speedball Manual.

I’ve looked at scans of this book online several times in my career. But usually the collection of pages is incomplete, or the resolution too low, or there are other issues. And, I am always trying relocate the place I found them, because I’m bad at saving links.

But now I can look at the entire thing! In its entirety! And in the format and size that it was intentionally designed to be experienced at, not in the format some platform decided was best and the images have been shoe-horned into.

I can’t recommend enough starting to create your own collection of inspiration and reference for you to return to. Think of it as cultivating a garden of carefully chosen inspiration for you to collect a harvest from season after season.

Whether that is collecting actual books, magazines, reference titles, ephemera, etc. or it’s carefully collecting quality JPGs or PDFs of work that is important to you, both put the resources in your hands and under your control.

You aren’t reliant upon a link still being there. Or upon the search algorithm. Or on your internet connection. Or a creator/archivist still having their site up.

It may sound dramatic, but in a way, it’s taking your creative destiny into your own hands!

I highly recommend it. Be intentional about the kinds of works you want to revisit instead of leaving that up to the feed or advertisers.

Get started today. Download those images from your Pinterest board and start a couple folders. Grab a used copy of that book you’ve wanted. Put a bid down on that one travel brochure you have always liked before it’s gone.

Let’s intentionally invest in ourselves, our craft, and the history of our trade. ❤️

-Daniel

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Growing a letterpress design practice in rural Indiana from scratch is a real challenge, but it’s worth it when I see so many of you enjoying my prints and engaging in discussions on fonts, design history, and creativity! Every little bit helps!

Thanks again for reading along and for all your support!

-Daniel
www.instagram.com/hoosiertype.co