MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1518973
Merch Madness If there’s a point where everything comes together for Draplin, that point is likely his “merch,” the merchandise he designs, produces, and sells during his speaking tours and appearances. Its popularity is obvious to anyone who has waited in the long lines around his tables at an Adobe MAX conference for the opportunity to buy some of it (and often meet Aaron). What got him into art when he was a kid, were the cool pencils and sketchpads his artist cousin had with him when he visited. When he started working in graphic arts, his greatest interest was to make things people would use, even if it was a simple postage stamp. Now, virtually all his work starts out on a simple pad of field notes that he always has with him. Having something with you where you can quickly jot down an idea or inspiration is part and parcel of the creative process. Even though it makes a great cliché, the back of a napkin is not the best medium to work with. Having something with you that you actually like having with you helps it become part of your creative process. That could be why Draplin didn’t just create a couple of different styles of notepad. He produced an entire collection as diverse as his creative customer/fan base. For example, there’s the super-durable, silver embossed “Foiled Again” boxed set of pocket-size notes, to the rather elegant pocket NOTE BOOK, “made of paper specially prepared in Tokyo” and manufactured in Japan. On some, the heavy-duty cover bear bright Draplin graphics. Other entries in the Field Notes product line are just plain functional. He won my heart with a steno book, much like my long-beloved, spiral-bound Ampad steno book I was scribbling away on during the interview, with heavy cardboard covers that reporters depend on when there’s no solid surface to write on. His designs are not only elegant, but they’re also eminently practical. Above all, they’re things that become part of you and make you want to draw or write on them. There will always be a place in this world for fine artists whose work, hanging on your wall draws you in and makes you pause in admiration. But we often forget about the equally talented and usually far more prolific artists who create things we see and touch every day and somehow make our lives just a bit more pleasant or the product contained a little more desirable. Aaron Draplin excels at the latter. He not only loves his work, he loves helping other artists and designers discover ways they can love their work (and possibly approach it in a more effective way.) I just hope he won’t mind that the print of the Forever Stamp he gave me is now hanging on the wall in my office as I’m writing this, and I still occasionally pause, look up, and ponder its simple but bold perfection. Keep up with Aaron at draplin.com. Instagram: www.instagram.com/draplin Twitter: twitter.com/draplin