Draplin Design Co.: Thick catalog of logo work, personal projects, and brash design opinions from a Portland legend.

In a word, fantastic. I can't remember the last time I picked up a book and was immediately inspired to create and go do something great. I've had this book in my hands for less than 24 hours and I can't wait to get working on all sorts of projects. Authentic is a buzzword and marketing term nowadays that doesn't mean anything for the most part but everything about Aaron's book, his writing, and his work screams authenticity. From his tell-it-like-it-is attitude to the gorgeous photos of relics gone by. The book is part memoir, part portfolio, part advice and all cool. In the book he recounts his journey from childhood to now through family memories, crappy jobs, road trips, art school, paid gigs, unpaid gigs and everything in between. You could get lost for hours just looking at the pages and pages of logos, collectables and print layouts. I haven't seen a collection like this anywhere, and to think it all came from one guy is mind blowing. The color is beautiful, the debossed hardback cover is fun to hold, and I can't wait to read through this over and over again to see what I've missed. I'm a designer and recently published author as well, so I know the amount of sweat, blood, and tears Aaron and others put into this. I'm blown away and challenged to be so much better. If you appreciate design or a true American story at all, you'll be richer for picking up this book. I can't wait to see volume 2.

Really enjoying this book. I leave it next to me work desk and will often take little breaks to leaf through it when I need some creative inspiration or a just a little work break. It's packed with design examples that stretch as far back as Draplins career which is pretty cool. I didn't really get into design until the last 5-6 years, so seeing what the design work was cooking up back in the 90's and early 2000's is interesting to see. His writing style is very raw and personal which makes the book that much more compelling. Almost has the feeling like he's sitting across the room from you telling his stories. I highly recommend this book for any creative type looking to be inspired, or simply hear how another creative made it in the design world. His commitment to his craft, getting better each day and creative amazing stuff for clients is inspiring in it's own right. It never hearts to read about someone so in love with what they do, it's infectious.

Absolutely gorgeous book brimming with the prolific output and unique aesthetic of one Aaron James Draplin. As a guy managing to carve out a living in design for the last 8 years, Aaron Draplin is a personal hero who makes me feel bad that I don't work nearly hard enough or with the right motivation at this stuff a lot of times (and I mean that as a tremendous compliment to him). Draplin's zero-pretension approach and infectious attitude toward the craft, junkin', road trips, indie rock, and life in general is a breathe of fresh air in this often jaded and slick industry. Did I mention his work is routinely amazing? He's also generously willing to share his talent, expertise and experience in a very practical way that is truly valuable for us little budding designers out there. There's a reason every single person has left a 5 star review of this so far (despite Amazon's shipping dinging up the corners too)—Obviously I'm a big fan, but I devoured this thing the moment it showed up and enjoyed basically every single page, thanks Draplin, inspiring stuff.

My wife and I, like many people, order a lot of stuff from Amazon. So I ordered this book. On the same day, my wife ordered a new pillow. Both orders were shipped and arrived in the typically expedient Amazon fashion. The pillow arrived in good shape, packed nicely in its box, lovingly cradled by small pockets of plastic wrapped air, keeping it extra (excessively?) safe from harm in its travels. This book (hardcover) on the other hand, came in a thin cardboard wrapper that was coming open at the bottom. The corners are dinged and there is good size dent in the middle of the spine. It's rare that I buy an actual ink on paper book these days and I'm sure that real books are an exceedingly small slice of Amazon's total sales, despite having started life as an online bookseller. The book is not used, the pages are beautiful, there is a satisfying crack as I open it to view its contents, and it smells like its fresh off the presses. Despite my excitement for its contents, the outward condition of this book upon arrival is really disappointing. The book is super dope though and I would encourage anyone to pick up a copy, but maybe from a real bookstore.

An inspirational kick in the pants, Aaron's book shows his rise to the top and that there's hope for the rest of us — if we put in the work! His life-long attention to detail is showcased throughout the book, resulting in an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at our favorite underdog graphic designer. Aaron's transparency is refreshing and his personality comes through on every page; my favorite is the 2-page spread on his dog, Gary! If this book doesn't inspire you to create something new and to start your own thing, I'm not sure if anything else will. For many of us designers, this is what we aspire to become, so it's nice to see one of the good guys win. If you've been on the fence to purchase the book or if you've (been living under a rock?) never heard of Aaron, don't hesitate! You will love this book! I think everyone will be able to see a little piece of themselves inside. What this book is not: This is not a text book or instructional book that is going to give step-by-step instructions on how to become a graphic design legend. What this book is: The book is full of inspiration from thumbnail sketches to logo variations and DDC merch. Best of all, the book is a steal on Amazon, but in general when it comes to premium design books. This could easily be priced at double or triple the price and still be highly sought-after and one of the most demanded graphic design books in recent years. Now, go make some vectors!

Wow. I've been a fan of Draplin for awhile now (if you haven't seen one of his talks, just do a Youtube search. This guy is a master), so I knew this book would be good. I pre-ordered it the day I heard about it, and have anxiously awaited its arrival ever since. When the package came, I tore it open the second I walked in the door. All I can say is that Draplin has done it again. I feel like I got away with robbery by only paying $24 for this book. It's jam-packed full of good design, beautiful photography, and classic Draplin philosophy. I want to say that this will be proudly displayed on my shelf for decades to come, but I know that's a lie, because it'll never make it to the shelf - it's going to be on my desk, used day in and day out as a reference and a source of kick-in-the-pants inspiration. Thanks, Draplin. Keep this stuff coming.

So this book is amazing and worth the dough! The content and insight into Draplin Design is phenomenal. The only reason I DIDN'T give it 5 stars is because of the condition that I received it in. I paid for the one day shipping extra $5.99 or 6.99 which it came on time and I found on my doorstep after coming home from floating the river. A very nice surprise which allowed me to spend what was left of my weekend looking at the book and being inspired. The print quality is amazing ,the colors are vivid, the feel of the paper is on point. Hear is the negative part, every corner of the book on the outside cover was bent from the spine to the edges of the front cover. The PAGES and PRINT were in tact. The black edges were frayed and turning a white/grayish color. Although a small rather minor issue for most it was kinda a big deal to me because Im in the process of building up my graphic design book library and this was kinda the crown jewel being a Draplin fan. Most likely all of this happend during shipping, Maybe it was the prime same day shipping Idk. Anyway thats my long winded review

I LOVE this book. Aaron Draplin is one of my top favorite designers now after watching several of his talks on YouTube and a really amazing interview with the Futur. Going to a 4 year design school taught me a lot, but one of the biggest takeaways I got from design university was the dimming of my true creative soul and an idea that my design must conform to one certain sterilized/stylized way in order to fit within the corporate complex of Seattle, and if it didn't... then I would be denied a job in which will pay off my massive student loan debt. Fast forward, I left Seattle in early 09 after the great recession and getting laid off several times, moved to the forest on the peninsula, became a hermit, rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I painted old furniture to pay the electricity bill, I cleaned houses to pay the rent, worked at a dirty blue collar offset print shop, I made stuff to pay for gas, learned html, css, php and worked in web design for 2 years, got involved with an MLM, made money, lost money, surfed, travelled. During all of that time, I lost touch with this "design culture" that I still didn't understand while attending college. We were taught to look up to some of the greats, but I never understood how any of them got to where they were and had the time to work on one huge conceptual project while the bills were piling in. I guess my point here is that what I love about AaronDraplin is his transparency in how he got to where he is now, in all practicality. He rolled up his sleeves, put the "I am not inspired lube" away, and worked his ass off all while maintaining the attitude that what he does is meant to help his client, not boost his ego or portfolio. His story in this book has shifted my perception of what I do, and once I found gratitude in my ability to help people rather than focusing on creating this stuff for a self serving ego boost, it has changed my entire design practice.

BUENISIMO. Inspirador e impresionante. Cuenta muchas historias sobre su pasado y su experiencia profesional y como apasionado del diseño grafico.

Great cover & publishing, helpful case studies

Aaron Draplin is a legend of a designer. Like myself he hails from a pre digital era. I look at his designs and they take me back to the 70's and 80's. I highly recommend this book!!! For the budding designer I would also suggest you track him down on social media.

Libro strabordante, come l'autore. Bello bello bello. Stampato da dio (la copertina con i loghi embossed è TOP). Grande pezzo da aggiungere alla collezione: per me imperdibile se amate il Graphic Design pop.

so yea I got this from seeing the youtuber Mumbo Jumo talking about it, he's a big inspiration of mine and I am an artist so I though this could be an interesting read! I have to say it is a really inspiering book, theres a lot of cool designs in here, made some stuff myself and I'm actually really happy with it :D