When I walk into a book store, I always pause, do a 180 degree perusal of my surroundings while drinking in the smell of knowledge. I can hear papers fanning as people investigate their treasure. My heart jumps when I see the young children sitting in the aisles getting acquainted with big red dogs, mystical creatures and fairy princesses. I am in complete awe that somewhere, anywhere on these wooden shelves I can simply pick a topic and, through reading and execution, I can become an expert on anything I desire.
If you’re getting a lump in your throat, I understand. If you think I’m a little over the top in my enthusiasm, I understand that, too. I’m a knowledge junkie and the 21st Century was made for people like me. While I still love what a book store has to offer my senses – smell, sight, touch – I like what my iPad can do for me in terms of storage space.
Print’s MyDesignShop.com is offering the 2012 issues of Print Magazine, including the Regional Design Annual, for just $41. Admittedly, the price point is odd, but it’s still a great deal. You can download all issues immediately and the content is searchable, making i
t an essential reference guide.
What kind of info and knowledge can you expect from Print’s 2012 editions?It begins with the February 2012 issue, which examines design influence from posters and signs to flyers. The April issue is the New Visual Artists issue, celebrating the best and brightest. It also includes one of 2012’s most compelling Print interviews with Sue Coe featuring her amazing graphic chronicle of modern slaughterhouses.
June is the Play Issue, with a profile of a small Portland record label, discussions of typefaces and the Olympics, and a feature on the winners from the 2012 Hand Drawn Competition.
Print’s August issue showcases an illustrative journal cataloguing lost and abandoned objects from a neighborhood in Brooklyn and three designers speak about their favorite projects that never got used (who can’t relate to that). October’s International edition features graphic design from around the world, from Egyptian business cards and non-Latin scripts to a Russian chemist-turned-photographer. The issue showcases the winners of the 2012 Creativity + Commerce competition – Print’s annual showcase of the best in business graphics, from corporate logos and annual reports to websites, branding campaigns, and packaging.
Finally, and by no means least, the 2012 Regional Design Issue with more than 150 pages of the best in regional design. In addition, Paul Shaw and Stephen Coles selected six representative typefaces released in the United States in 2012.
Does that $41 price point make more sense now? Buy it.