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Draplin Design Co.: Pretty Much Everything

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A funny, colorful, fascinating tour through the work and life of one of today’s most influential graphic designers.   Esquire. Ford Motors. Burton Snowboards. The Obama Administration. While all of these brands are vastly different, they share at least one thing in com­ a teeny little bit of Aaron James Draplin.   Draplin is one of the new school of influential graphic designers who combine the power of design, social media, entrepreneurship, and DIY aesthetic to create a successful business and way of life. Pretty Much Everything is a mid-career survey of work, case studies, inspiration, road stories, lists, maps, how-tos, and advice. It includes examples of his work—posters, record covers, logos—and presents the process behind his design with projects like Field Notes and the “Things We Love” State Posters.   Draplin also offers valuable advice and hilarious commentary that illustrates how much more goes into design than just what appears on the page. With Draplin’s humor and pointed observations on the contemporary design scene, Pretty Much Everything is the complete package.

880 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2016

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Aaron James Draplin

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5 stars
769 (67%)
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265 (23%)
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84 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Profile Image for Jamocha.
21 reviews
January 8, 2017
The book is really targeted at students and recent graduates. The design magazines that have existed for decades seem to skip the transition from college to career. It can make or break you. The frugal living. The timing of repaying student loans. The jobs you take that will never be on your resume or in your portfolio. The investment in hardware and paying full price for software when you’re no longer a student. It’s why colleges are hiring Aaron to come tell his story.

Aaron wrote a book. Aaron has a portfolio. I’ll bet Aaron never calls his portfolio his “book”. He has a “shop” that he doesn’t call a “studio" or “space". He does work for buddies and doesn’t refer to it as “pro-bono”. He designs for fun when the project has a purpose. Passion. Purpose. Impact. Is Aaron a great interview because he does not fit the stereotypes we know graphic designers have? A guy that looks like he grooms ski slopes produces memorable work like a machine.

I’m a production artist with a growing design sense which is sometimes better than a designer with an ignorant production sense in my opinion. I don’t have enough peers like Aaron Draplin. I have some prepress responsibilities and for decades I’ve experienced the client and designer stereotypes that Aaron describes in his rants. The Bauhaus has its place in history but good luck trying to find a client who wants to pay you for that heady look. Too often, the high level graphic designers don’t know how the sausage is made. In the printing world, there’s often a team of people working on your stuff and it’s important to respectfully engage and involve them.

Aaron appreciates originality and jokes about the trends that come and go. His retro has relevance and prefers to call it “time tested”. I wonder what his response would be to recent feedback I received: “Make the logo look more modern”. Aaron speaks of another topic you don’t hear much about from designers: Rejection. Aaron is successful because he’s learned to make adjustments.

Aaron is American Pickers meets the Helvetica documentary. Aaron buys fonts and provides a preflighting checklist. How many of us have bothered? His coaching doesn’t end at just design. Aaron is a born scavenger and he's made a list of places and habits that have helped him find what other people have missed in the bargain bin of life.

I discovered Aaron in a low brow art magazine called Juxtapoz who almost never features a graphic designer (unless you consider Shepard Fairey a graphic designer). By coincidence, Aaron’s name came up again a week later in a book called “Kern and Burn”. I visited Traverse City twice after North Peak Beers underwent a huge brand makeover that resonated well into Ohio. The work was not Aaron’s but good design on one line of products converted me into a tourist of a special place I may have otherwise never known about. That’s powerful in a competitive world of new breweries opening all the time.

I was fortunate enough to be able to temporarily download the book from the library and view it in a program called Adobe Digital Editions: I would rate that interface as a good choice for reading but a poor choice for viewing the photos and layout. I don’t know what the book would have looked like on my Kindle.
Profile Image for Jeff.
53 reviews
March 8, 2017
Aaron Draplin is a fine storyteller and a bullshit detester. Coincidentally he's also a first rate designer. So chalk this up as the second graphic design book I've read cover to cover. "Pretty Much Everything" appears not to be a figurative title. It includes his question to his flustered mother (as well as her answer) about the where-and-when of his conception, and keeps sharing info all the way up to the closing notes with printing and paper details. It also features what is easily the most extensive thank you list in the history of american authors. From childhood friends, family and mentors all the way down to "that one cool lady at the Target store across the street" when he lived in Laguna Niguel.

What I find most compelling about the book is that it hardly ever talks about the design and speaks instead of the drive and uncertainty of growing up and becoming a professional designer. Wanting more, but not clear on what that means. Scrapping toward happiness through college and low-paying hot jobs that make room for road trips and play (snowboarding) and eventually finding the kind of work that's closest to play for him. He describe the struggles and joys of being a professional graphic designer. Draplin remembers, and shares how it felt saving for the first computer (Power Computing! Remember those? It was all I could afford when I started) then getting it and using it to make the money that leads to bigger clients more work and eventually a full, and remarkable career built from a life rooted in hard work, humility, fair-mindedness, family, humor and the American sprit.

It sounds cheesy to say it that way. But it also feels right. It's almost embarrassingly innocent sounding in the current post-satire, sociopolitical weather. But throughout the narrative there's a pride in America, and a genuine fondness for hard working American people that comes through in all his stories that has not a whiff of falsehood.

What emerges— in addition to a comprehensive tour of all his great design work—is a sincere and open portrait of a smile-inducing, hard working, life loving, road rambling, big, bold, generous, American human being.Who is also an ass-kicking designer.

Aaron Draplin will be coming to visit the school where I teach in about a month. I look forward to meeting him in person.
Profile Image for Peter Derk.
Author 32 books403 followers
January 5, 2019
Great artsy book without the snob. A good read for anyone interested in the artist-meets-business-meets-hustle side of the world.

When you read this, you figure out what makes Draplin a success: voice. His design is voice-y, his speaking is voice-y, and his book has a voice. This is the total opposite of high fashion, high art bullshit that nobody understands and everyone pretends to. A lot of fun to read.
Profile Image for Katie.
66 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2017
I love Aaron Draplin. This is the most authentic and entertaining design book I've ever read. And I read every. Single. Page. To the very end! Minus the typos...bravo Aaron!
Profile Image for Mark.
278 reviews7 followers
January 23, 2019
This is the only book I've ever had to read with a magnifying glass. Lots of pretty pictures, a few useful graphic design tips, and the unique voice of Aaron James Draplin. Not knowing the guy, I can't be sure whether he's a genuinely authentic embodiment of the American ideal or just someone who convincingly plays the part. Probably the former.

Concept 83/100. Execution 85/100.
Profile Image for Kale Harbaugh.
45 reviews2 followers
September 15, 2019
The stories and insights are entertaining, but the best part of this is how pretty this thing is. Everything is perfectly detailed and laid out beautifully. Coffee table approved.
7 reviews
January 6, 2025
Best damn design book on the market. Draplin rules and that’s totally unbiased
Profile Image for Kayleigh Jolley.
18 reviews
March 26, 2023
Nothing has gotten the creative motors running for me quite like this book. A delight/resource/hilarity/wonder from beginning to end.
99 reviews
September 1, 2017
Absolutely amazing! Aaron Draplin is a hard working and talented designer with a huge heart and infectious message. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Shelli.
360 reviews86 followers
March 24, 2017
Gorgeously produced by art book publisher Harry N. Abrams, this weighty tome really does contain pretty much everything about the work and career of design giant Aaron Draplin, with oodles of his personality and vision to boot. Even if his blocky, old-school graphical sensibilities aren't your style, you'll still love the peek into his process, his opinions, his adventures, and his nerdy collections. I got the book to enjoy the images, but I wound up reading every last perfectly-typeset word.
Profile Image for Melanie  H.
812 reviews56 followers
October 21, 2016
When I grow up I want to be Aaron James Draplin. Work hard. Do good work.
297 reviews
January 6, 2017
Draplin is a cheesy guy, but most of the time — like when he's dedicating several pages to drawings people have done of him — he somehow manages to come off as giddy instead of self absorbed.

Yet, the cynical side of me couldn't help but notice how early on in the book he notes:
“It's sad to me how the simpler an item is, the harder it is to make. Things like socks. Turns out America sold the looms to places far away, and now it's harder and harder to make a simple pair of socks. I find that incredibly disheartening. If we can't make the simplest of stuff, what's that say about the state of American manufacturing?”
buuuut sitting on a line near the bottom of the last page is:
“Printed and bound in China.”
Not that I care about where you print your book (or if things are manufactured in the states for that matter) but...a bit of a bummer to see that so soon after reading a holier-than-thou rant on the subject.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed the photography of all of the stuff he's made/collected over the years. Seeing all of those things gives you insight into his mind and what he values, and the shots were so good that sometimes I enjoyed them more than the work. The man also makes a mean logo, definitely see his marks lasting far longer than the average designer's. The book is also a nice object itself, with great debossing on the cover, and lots of beautiful ink.
Profile Image for J.souza.
219 reviews11 followers
April 14, 2021
First I gotta say Draplin is one of my design heroes.

I got to know him and his work through Skillshare classes. I think the first one I took was "Circular Logo Design with Draplin: Combine Type & Icons in a Classic Shape" or maybe one about customizing type. Unlike a lot of teachers, with their big words and showing off classes, Aaron was very approachable. He was a nice guy, who made design fun, and didn't mind throwing a few curse words here and there. My type of dude.

Draplin has a very oldschool approach to design, which I love. Thick lines and flat icons. Logos meant to survive for ages, what in my opinion every logo should aspire to. Think of: Nike, Apple, Adidas. And he knew how to pass that through his classes.

I loved the way his design looks, and he's until this day one of the few I look up to. And one of the best things about him is that he got there by working with, in it's majority , local and sometimes small clients. Proving that you don't have to do a campaign for Mc Donald's to make a living out of design. And that's something I live by.

In this book Aaron tells about his journey. I was amazed, not surprised, to learn that he is a punk rocker like myself, which explains a lot. It has a lot of cool art too. I sometimes wished there was more art than text, as I was hoping for a big catalog of logos to look at as reference. Buuuut, still: Aaron is an amazing dude, and is fun, easy and a great study to read his ideas.
38 reviews
May 15, 2020
I actually read this book more slowly during the latter half because I didn’t want it to end. It was that good.

Draplin is a great storyteller and seemingly the most genuine human on the planet. I loved reading about his life just as much as I loved reading about his work.

The dude is PROLIFIC. He’s done so much work just in the past 20 years, and really his whole life. Who starts their own personal brand in high school? Fucking amazing. I loved how he has saved pretty much everything he’s done. The work he chose to elaborate on was a lot of smaller brands, friends and his personal projects. All of this was so inspiring to me. He somehow found the time to brand Gary and start Field Notes and help his buddies out while busting his ass on paid client work. He also includes a lot of pieces that he did just for fun when showing off his work. I thought that was so cool. I used to open up illustrator just to mess around and try to make something cool and somewhere along the way I lost my spark, but this book reinvigorated me. I am looking at my work through fresh eyes again and it’s all thanks to Draplin.

This book is like chicken soup for the designer's soul and should be required reading in design school.
Profile Image for Traci.
140 reviews34 followers
January 26, 2019
I came to this book barely knowing who Aaron Draplin is. I'm taking one of his Skillshare classes as I get my feet wet in graphic design, and I googled him. I thought this would be a book of his designs, so naturally I jumped at it, since I admire his work. Luckily, I found it at my local library. e-book check out, too! I didn't even have to leave my chair.
I'm mid-career in interactive design and production myself, so I could have done without all the career advice, though some of it was interesting to skim quickly. There's also a lot of life story I could've done without. As other reviewers have said, this guy is really self-involved!
Still, a solid speed read. I had no idea he's the guy who created Field Notes! And now that I'm aware of his work, I see it everywhere. Just spotted a guy at the gym last night, wearing one of Aaron's t-shirts. Definitely a great source of creative inspiration. And if you're just starting out, a good source of career advice, or at least a solid tale of how one guy got himself off the ground.
Profile Image for Chris Bracco.
53 reviews2 followers
July 30, 2018
Aaron Draplin is one of my favorite designers and personalities. To have all of his work wrapped up in this beautiful bow of a book is an absolute joy. I feel like I own a piece of treasure. It's a "coffee table" book that you will want to read intently instead of skim. Aaron's storytelling tone is conversational, bold, simple, and funny. What's equally impressive as his design chops is his cataloging prowess - he has amassed and produced so many works and uses them brilliantly to chronicle and bring meaning to different periods of his life.

I saw Aaron speak back in 2013 in Portland, Maine during his "Tall Tales from a Large Man" tour, and it had a profound impact on me. He is that rare combination of friendly and assertive, and his outlook on graphic design is simple and admirable - make nice things with nice people, try to have some fun doing it, and remember you are lucky to be doing it at all.
Profile Image for Tim Lapetino.
Author 6 books16 followers
August 20, 2018
Aaron Draplin's work is classic and impressive, spanning much of my own early design career. He has always been an inspiration, and this book is a distillation of what makes his approach and his design work so good.

I really felt like I knew him a bit better after reading this book, and his no-nonsense, hard-work approach is refreshing when compared to the snooty, overblown "design can save the world" headlines that recently have dominated our industry. I appreciate Draplin's humble attitude towards the work and his inspiration, as well as his honest love of ephemera (he calls it "junkin'") and the graphic traditions of early 20th century America. His writing is simple, honest and thoughtful--giving this monograph a more personal feel.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Rach.
564 reviews12 followers
November 2, 2021
Draplin is a legend. But an approachable and humble one. No snobbery detected.

My personal favorite sections included his collections of ephemera, album designs, and his impressive portfolio of logos.

His style is so impressive and I’m inspired to keep collecting old stuff because of him. I also thought his section about thrifting (which he called “junking”) was super helpful for people who want to start collecting ephemera.

I love the mantra “vectors are free” because it reminds me that make mistakes while designing in a cheap and fast way. He is also a champion of the pencil and paper ideation phase. It’s cool to have drawing skills in your toolkit as a digital designer.

What a beautiful book as well. You can tell that quality is important to him.
Profile Image for Sandra.
Author 1 book2 followers
May 12, 2017
The man's work speaks for itself. This is a book to geek-out on big time! The book showcases his work and is filled with interesting stories.

What I liked: Every page is one to pore over with interesting things, funny stories and assorted collections. He is down-to-earth and the opposite of pretentious in an industry full of silliness, it is refreshing. His stories and interesting and funny and round out all the artwork.

What I didn't like: I found it really difficult to read because the typeface was so small, which is really more my problem than a design problem.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating.
Profile Image for Selena-Beana.
3 reviews
February 2, 2018
Good book, not so great on the kindle

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a graphic designer from Michigan and most of the settings described in this book were similar to my upbringing. I met Aaron briefly at a tour stop in Marquette. Coolest dude to sign my sketchbook. I bought this book on the kindle and read it cover to cover. The photos are not well presented. A bit of a disappointment. Being a book about graphic design I was going to see the pictures a bit more clearly. That said, I will buy the hardcopy in the future to see his work a bit larger.
Profile Image for Ted Ryan.
334 reviews17 followers
June 6, 2021
This was a lot of fun to read. The world of graphic arts is about as foreign to me as anything on the artistic side is - but I love it. I love that someone can create a logo that encapsulates an organization in a simple graphic. The process of logo making and especially Draplin’s process as he discusses in this book is fascinating. This skill is not one I possess but I enjoy and benefit from learning about how it works and how I might bring a bit or two of this knowledge into my life and work.
40 reviews
November 21, 2019
This guy is an inspiration! Totally self-made! Strong convictions and a truly exuberant spirit. The book makes me want to design.....and I have no clue how to.......
Overall, it’s about sticking to your guns and being the best person you can be! This book is a guide to life. It just happens that this guy’s life is design. Gonna take it and apply it to all things the best I can!!
Thanks, Draplin!
Profile Image for Ali Roberts.
57 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2023
I really enjoyed this for both the creative inspiration and learning about a guy that’s been in this industry far longer than I have. Even if I disagree with some of his strong takes, I feel like I know him well enough after reading his book and soaking it in that he’d be cool with that and respect me for having my own strong opinions 😄 overall worth the buy, and will be more than happy to keep on my coffee table and refer to for creative and business perspective purposes.
1 review
July 8, 2017
If you love design and quirky Americana then read this book.

Draplin reminds me of why I love design - it's a privilege to help others express their ideas, themselves, their products. And he's so freaking passionate about it! It's infectious.
Profile Image for Patrick.
55 reviews8 followers
December 30, 2017
I remember not being a huge fan of his work when he started picking up momentum for Field Notes, but I grew to love his edgy wit and way of working. This book does a fantastic job of illustrating both. Great insight into his madness aka life.
Profile Image for Catherine Page.
13 reviews
October 2, 2021
An amazing designer and honest man. I hope to live a career with at least speck of similarity to him and learn to enjoy the process as much as possible. Reach for the goals and the things you want and you’ll find them.
Profile Image for Ign33l.
368 reviews
March 8, 2022
I will steal from here to get basic a$$ designs but nothing interesting. It was a lame book for me with no art; but it takes you the work of someone that did logos and draw his whole life, like a children’s book
Profile Image for Mike.
23 reviews
April 28, 2017
My most favourite book on the shelf right now! Reading/browsing through it gives loads of inspiration and energy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews

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