Do you remember the days leading up to the start of school? The clean notebook, mint pencil/pen box, untouched reams of lined paper and the pristine subject tabs. The calm before the deluge of school time work, the anticipation of things to come. It was a halcyon moment before the cranky teacher and snooty students invaded your space.
Before computer icons, our malleable early brains were treated to a splendid array of simple signs and symbols designed for school children to organize their chaotic little minds. Every culture uses pictorial cues to help keep track of the experiential flood of stuff in our lives, but I find these vintage French stock stickers among the most charming bits of organizational stuff. Such a comfort to just tear and paste for a perfectly ordered world.
Lessons LearnedGet even more of Steven Heller’s design insight with the August issue of Print that includes the Evolution column on the word “cute,” a feature all about MFA programs and more. Never miss another issue by subscribing today.