While I have always loved to read, and appreciated writing as a creative art, I had not always liked to write for myself as much as I do now.  I'm sure many designers can say the same as we work through editing in the era of "content is king." I started with a love of creativity and typography. My formal design education taught me the beauty in letter forms. There are simple and subtle differences in fonts and letters that is an art in and of itself. I personally love a sans serif with a perfectly round O, but the ability to use Optima as a serif or sans serif font makes that choice pleasing too. The ability to write interesting content didn't come from formal education, but almost from osmosis. I've learned many things by osmosis. I've joked that I've learned liturgy by osmosis while working for a religious organization. I'd even say my parenting skills have come from being immersed in my little one's lives. That's not to say I didn't...

When someone starts to say "I will.." in my household, someone else usually follows with "...eat the ice cream!" We're immersed in a new creative world, children's literature and cartoons. The past few weeks the designer in me is geeking out over Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series. Our first book, "Should I Share My Ice Cream," was a gift. A well read over and over and over gift! Then Santa brought our household a second Elephant and Piggie book, "Waiting is not Easy." Now I'm hooked! Gerald (Elephant's actual name) and Piggie are funny and cute. But it's not just that, the design elements woven into the book help to tell the story. Storytelling, ahhh, the product of all good design! Gerald and Piggie are very simplified characters, and I've come to appreciate simplified illustrations I had overlooked in the past. The simplification helps focus on the characters' situations and emotions, which the stories re...