Self-Portrait as Your Traitor

by Debbie Millman

Debbie Millman's illustrated essays and visual poems are part philosophy, part art, part deeply personal memoir exposing the universal triumphs and tribulations of being human. Her hand-lettered typography - sometimes tender, sometimes gritty, always breathtaking in its visceral candor - makes Self Portrait as Your Traitor a moving masterpiece of a singular art form that speaks to our deepest longings for beauty, honesty, and the ineffable magic of what it means to live.

Genres: Art, Poetry, Design, Nonfiction, Essays, Womens

112 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2013

About the author

Debbie Millman is an American writer, educator, artist, and designer who is perhaps best known as the host of the Design Observer podcast 'Design Matters'. She is 'President of Design' at Sterling Brands, based in New York City, working with brands such as Pepsi, Gillette, Colgate, Kimberly-Clark, Nestlé, and Campbells. She chairs the 'Masters in Branding' program at the School of Visual Arts, is a contributing editor to Print, a blogger for Fast Company, and the 'President Emeritus' of AIGA.

Reviews

[Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The typography in this book is gorgeous, and each of the visual essays is visually complex, demanding an engaged and active reading experience. There is whimsy here, as well as wit and poignancy. Lots to admire, particularly in how these pieces reflect the intersections of design, language, and art.

[Julie Ehlers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is clearly a book for people who already worship at the church of Debbie Millman. For the rest of us, there are better things to read.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Illustrated essays and visual poems are part philosophy, part art, part deeply personal memoir exposing the universal triumphs and tribulations of being human."

Well, color me confused. This book made the Brain Pickings' Best Books of 2013, and I for one don't get it at all. I did like the hand drawn lettering, and some of the ways the author plays with text as art, but honestly, this one left me shaking my head. Not for me.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book of visual poems and stories--the words, the typography, the stories, the colors… the way on some pages words were layered so thickly on top of each other she had to change the font colors to make the newer layers legible, the variety of fonts and how they reflected and enhanced the feeling of the stories they supported, the use of text as a major design element and the use of design as a major story element. Especially as I play with text in the context of visual art in my own work.

[kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pages shown on the brainpickings article about this book are (of course) the best ones in the book. The rest are vague, navel-gazing sort of prose that I didn't get much from, despite the cool hand-written, hand-lettered, etc. artfully done format.

[Joshua Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully childlike flirtation with design and description stands out unfettered and ubiquitous.

[Veronica Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the illustrations to be thought-provoking and beautifully done. They definitely evoked the feelings Millman so expertly translated onto paper, and I'd give the illustrations (as opposed to the book as a whole) a 5-star + rating. Some of the short stories were also beautiful and poignant, and I truly enjoyed them. I appreciated that Millman was not afraid to explore herself in this book, and ended up with a truly honest piece.

However, I can't help but take two stars off for a few of the short stories (if you can call them that...) that really missed the mark for me. I found them a little lacking in substance, and way too overfilled with emotion, which was probably the author's intentions, but not exactly what I was looking for. It's a shame, really, since the rest of the book was so extraordinary.

[Missi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's beautiful. It's confessional. I found this book to be an experience that I would love to have again and again. Wonderful moments of relating to the poetry, the stories, and the art.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of torn on the review here. Good text. I appreciate the design but I don't. I want more. Some of the material hits hard but I want all of it to hit that hard.

[Charl Lingenfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Wanted more. The moments of brilliance are so brilliant that the rest loses its shine- even though it still is very good.

[Hewi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it needs to be. It's definitely a step up from her "Look Both Ways". A short coffee table book with lovely designs of her personal poems regarding life, love, and her work. Should be read physically!

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative and inspiring!

[Josephine Tritsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never seen anything like this!

[Silvia Paizan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It makes me want to be a kid again and record everything, keep all my silly drawings, be ashamed of them and then be proud of them years later.

[Stephanie]

It is interesting to see how she foregrounds the look of the typefaces in these little poems/stories but I am afraid I am not visual enough to fully appreciate what she is doing.

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for the second time after I found it among some of my old things. Even better the second time, with a better eye for design.

The second to last essay, Fare the well, was by far my favorite (along “Lucky”) and loved the design of them all.

Definitely buy the physical copy of this book (not kindle). It is big and beautiful and to be read in one mesmerizing sitting.

Will read it again as I stumble upon it in my library.