In celebration of their 40th Anniversary, VSA Partners created an insightful, playful video series exploring the power of design in all its forms. They asked their team to share brief videos of products, places, brands and experiences that inspired their creativity and careers. At PRINT we’re celebrating with them by sharing some of these moments that remind us that real, lasting impact starts with putting people at the center of design.
“What can’t a library do?”
SVA Partners’ Associate Creative Director of Writing Janelle Blasdel poses this question in her “Design That Changed Us” video, and I’ve often wondered the same thing myself. As a freelance writer, I regularly seek out nooks and crannies of my local libraries from which to post up and do my work. I live on the east side of Los Angeles, so the Los Feliz, Silverlake, and Atwater Village libraries are my mainstays, with each offering a distinct vibe and POV for me and my fellow library-goers. From the iridescent green tiles on the window sills at the Los Feliz library, to the cement stools shaped like stacks of books outside of the Silverlake branch, the architectural design of libraries has always caught my eye.
“One of the many lessons that I take away from the public library is about how they are always thinking about new ways to really live into their purpose of enriching communities, technology, trends in their neighborhoods, what the people need— and then they’re making it happen,” Blasdel reflects in her video.
Public libraries are a critical resource in every community that are too often under-appreciated and taken for granted. Do yourself a favor and make it a habit to take advantage of your local libraries.
