The more time we spend camped out in front of computers, the more obsessed we get with the tangible. Or, at least I do. I’ve confessed my undying love for magazine subscriptions (even when they pile up on the corner of my office), I love piecing together a real life mood board and I also have a little obsession with paper sample books.

Books of paper samples used to be lurking everywhere…they still are if you look hard enough but not in the same quantity they once were. So when I see a really well designed one, want to absorb every little detail. And Neenah Paper has taken it to a whole new level with their latest batch.

Handed out as a “brick” that then snapped into four smaller sample books (!!!), each page is meticulously designed over their different paper offerings. A lot of the designs have a throwback 90s feel (the best of the 90s, not the garish, pixelated stuff) and it’s really inspiring. I didn’t want to keep this goodness only to myself so I sat on the floor scanning tiny page after page to give you a glimpse of the awesomeness covering these books.

Inspiration is everywhere. Even in paper sample books. Bravo to Neenah Paper for taking it to a whole new level.

View even more Typofiles columns here.

I first shared Rika Magazine on here a few months back after I fell in love with its use of unique innovative fonts, pages full of handwriting and features of people you don’t see flashed all over the front pages of every other magazine. Based out of the Netherlands, it feels like the ultimate bible of cool, done in an accessible, inviting way.

In this issue, Rika has splashed a new mix of vibrant colors throughout, most notably this Springy, minty green. Oh, and the always lovely Solange makes an appearance in a beautifully shot editorial.

Rika Magazine always manages to create a balance between the pretty and gritty. With that big splash of mint green comes a heavy dose of the black and white and the handwriting that gives it a total private journal feel. If you’re on the hunt for your own copy of Rika, I found mine at Barnes and Noble.

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: J. Crew gets me every time. I’m probably not their target customer and I barely own anything by them but sure enough, their catalog shows up on my doorstep every few months and I’m suddenly transfixed by their world…or at least the world they project in their catalogs.

What is it about J. Crew’s branding and offerings that has this certain power and charisma? There’s this sense of inviting cool that I immediately feel when I flip through their catalogs. Nothing’s too fussy. And the type is sharp and on-trend but never overdone. Maybe what draws me in as a from a design perspective is that they manage to strike that elusive balance between classic and trendy. Not too classic that it’s boring but not too trendy that it’s vulgar.

I like the idea of having staying power but without being dull. To me, that’s precisely why J.Crew is so popular. And why I like their catalogs so much. It’s no secret that I gather a lot of design inspiration from flipping through catalogs. If you’re looking for some free inspiration over the holidays, check out my catalog post and sign up for a few of your own. Isn’t snail mail the best?

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

I just came across this amazing printing book and had to share! Still considered to be one of the great guides for letterpress printers, The Color Printer was published in 1892 by John Franklin Earhart after five years of meticulous work. Earhart was an early developer of artistic printing (a movement that focused on incorporating decoration and ornamental type styles) and covers mixing ink colors, embossing techniques, and much, much more in great detail.

Best of all, you can view every single page of this amazing piece of history for free right here! It must be said: I love the internet and the ease that it allows us to access gems like this.

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

As I was digging through some stacks of magazines the other day, I came upon this issue of V Magazine from Winter 05/06. Right away, the cover draws you in, there’s no question about that. But then, as I flipped through the issue, I was struck by the power of simplicity and consistency from cover to cover. There weren’t loads of trendy typefaces but instead the same condensed font for the titles throughout, the same sans serif for all of the body copy and for the larger stories, there was one custom treatment. The grids were very basic as well. Through this premeditated simplicity, the images took center stage, often in full-page portraits.

This post is a reminder to you (and to myself) to not overthink things. I’m guilty of sketching and then scouring Pinterest and then sketching some more, trying to find that golden, perfect solution when sometimes, the most obvious, simple, powerful answer is right in front of me. I’m one of those designers that wishes that I’d had a chance to take courses before everything was computerized — I have a lot of old design books (my favorite series is by Jan V. White, especially the Graphic Idea Notebook
) because they force me to think in a different way. A way that involves using the grid and the basic tools versus what’s trendy on various design sites.

Step back. Look at the big picture. This eye (belonging to the beautiful Jennifer Connelly) takes up a full page in V. If anything else had been added, it would have taken away the power and emphasis.

Always, always remember the beauty of simplicity. Sometimes the most impact comes from the most basic solution. Next time, instead of asking yourself what you can add to a layout or logo, ask yourself what you can remove.

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

This week’s Typofiles is a little different; it’s a look way back at some amazing packaging. When I was in Palm Springs last month with Star, we noticed what appeared to be a store full of vintage goods from across the street.

Curious about its contents, we entered (a fee of 95 cents will get you in) and it became clear that nothing was for sale; this was a general store frozen in time.

Ruddy’s 1930s General Store Museum was completed in 1987 and donated to the city by James Ruddy, who had been building his collection of products for 35 years. The result is one of the largest and most complete displays of general merchandise in the U.S. Every detail in the store is authentic — unbelievably, more than 6,000 unused items line its walls.

The packaging and type treatments were so inspiring to take in, especially since so many of these brands no longer exist. If you’re a designer or just an antiques aficionado, you must make a point of visiting this museum at 221 South Palm Canyon Drive. I’m sure glad I did.

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.