[design] If You Surfed Over Here From Jeff Fisher's Book Blog...

1035. ...Then, Welcome.

I think a word or two about why I get excited whenever Jeff Fisher drops a new book or something like this would be called for.

In an extremely indirect way, we have things in common. We're both from Salem, Oregon, so I feel that we are, in some elemental way, linked that way–kids who grow up in Salem tend to move on, at least to Portland.

Some time ago, when I was getting tired of the grind of the job I was doing to (just barely) pay the bills, I decided that I wanted to do something artistic, something creative. About that time, one of the things I saw was an article in The Oregonian, our local daily, about what he was doing and how he was getting there, and I thought that was the coolest thing pretty much ever.

So, at that point I investigated design, eventually going to and getting a degree at Portland Community College. At this point, I'm still looking for a gig, and pickings for me are pretty slender, but another thing keeping an eye on Jeff does for me is to provide a continuing inspiration to keep trying and to not give up. I also fancy that I recognize that if it weren't for people like Jeff, there would be no design world to aspire to (I remember one of my schoolmates scoffing at what he called the "designosaurs". To be unabashedly blunt, I think that attitude is the definition of stupid).

So, it's all about inspiration. Jeff was one of my first. It's my way of saying thanks for inspiring me, and when my payday finally does happen, it's my way to give thanks for showing the way.

Tags: design, pdx designers, Jeff Fisher, Identity Crisis!, ZehnKatzen, Samuel John Klein