GONNA BE A WILD DAY, MILWAUKEE: Holy moly, so much going on today! Shit starts off really early at the "Morning of Champions" super breakfast at Anodyne Coffee! Then over to MIAD for a workshop where we are going to talk logos, life, loose business practices and whatever else we can pack in. And of course, there's our little speaking fiasco, and that is going down at Discovery World. Our WHOLE STORY blasted into a spirited multi-media presentation! All the warts and moles. Tested the world over! Vectors, challenges, laffs, tears, dead stuff, little ideas, interstellar travel, tasty hot dogs and a couple tall, tall tales. Our tallest.

And, SERIOUSLY-STOCKED DDC MERCH TABLE will be in full effect! Things you need! Wisconsin posters, DDC "Pretty Much Everything" posters, t-shirts, full selection of Field Notes, stickers, weird plastic things, DDC action caps and other rad shit. Offered at Milwaukee-only prices! Wisconsin-approved! Cash or credit! Act now. Lifetime Gu-aaron-tee on all the goods! Boom!

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HERE'S ALL THE DETAILS:

BREAKFAST:
"Morning of Champions"
8:30-9:30AM
Anodyne Coffee

WORKSHOP:
"Behind the Scenes with DDC"
Noon-2PM
MIAD

SPEAKING FIASCO:
"Beards and Branding"
6-8PM
Discovery World

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APPRECIATION IS FELT: All of this wildness, graciously brought to you by AIGA Wisconsin, United Adworkers, Domtar, The Iron Horse hotel, MIAD and Company B! Thanks, Milwaukee!

HEADING TO MILWAUKEE TODAY: Thank you, Albany! Thank you Sage Albany AIGA student group! A great day! Appreciated. Thanks for the ride to the airport, Greg Matusic! I don't want to leave, but I have to go!

We've got official business over in Milwaukee tomorrow, and that shit's serious! Three events! A breakfast, a workshop and a speaking fiasco! And probably other things!? Gonna be wild. Okay, I'm hopping this flight from Albany to Detroit, then Detroit to Milwaukee. Hopping around the East and the Midwest. Wow! Bye, New York State!

TONIGHT, ALBANY! Just getting out of a classroom full of wide-eyed Sage College design students! Spoke for a couple hours, telling them everything under the sun, and then some. The DDC isn't afraid to talk. Too much, really. So yeah, come to the talk at 6pm tonight at the OPalka gallery: The Speaking Fiasco by the Draplin Design Co.!

Full merch table..New York posters, DDC "Pretty Much Everything" Posters, torso covers, Field Notes, orange stuff, pencils, pens, rad shit, weird shit, shit you need! Be there, Albany!

HEADING TO ALBANY THIS MORNING: We've got official business in at Sage College in Albany, New York tomorrow! We'll be telling our whole story to a packed room! Be there, New York state! Here's the link!

GEARING UP, ALWAYS: This week, we've got a couple tour stops! Albany on Tuesday and Milwaukee on Thursday! Flying to Albany on Monday. Fired up. Heading to that East Coast! BAM!

The art.

Art directing.

Youch!

Thumbs up, and, please help me off this table.

This one's for Dad.
(Photos by Leigh!)

WE BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE: And little Ailey Gufstafson down in Atlanta did her very best recreating the Search Discovery logo! We made this last summer, and man, love it. Good work, little lady!

Photo: ©2014 DDC Merchandise Archives

Handcrafted by proud Americans in Orange City, Iowa, the Open Road Action Cap is an item not to be fucked with. Field-tested all around these great United States, it took us many rounds of development to craft ourselves the perfect hat. No expenses were spared and now, we pass the savings on to you.

These are made by Action Cap, which has been outfitting farmers, truckers, contractors and the occasional carny for a couple years now, keeping good Americans protected from the elements. These are the real deal, people. Like we'd settle for anything else? Heck no.

Take this one out on the road. Keep the rubber on the road!

OUR HUNCH: You need one.

01. Embroidered DDC "Open Road" patch.
02. Durable materials up front.
03. Mesh ventilation system for tough times out back.
04. Fitted for large heads. Grow into it.
05. Adjustable.
06. All-weather.
07. Patch graphic doubles as a map, in a pinch.
08. Made by Action Cap, Portland, Ore.
09. Built for the open road.
01. "Road Rash Red 6-Panel Foam"
02. "Interstate Blue / White Mesh"
$29.99 - Shipping Included (U.S.A., CANADA)

Colorway

Road Rash Red 6-Panel Foam $29.99 USD Interstate Blue / White Mesh $29.99 USD

For customers using PayPal, click the link above they'll take it from there. For customers who aren't using PayPal, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get back to you with an address to ship the funds to. We accept money orders and cold hard cash, so, get with it, man! All orders are shipped out as fast as we can. Usually a couple days after the order comes in. We ship everything USPS "First Class" rates. If you want quicker shipping, contact us and we can ramp it up to USPS Priority, or whatever you need. We aim to please! We cover the shipping in the states and up to Canada, but charge the basics for International orders. Before you place the order through our PayPal account, send us an email to "orders(at)draplin.com" and we'll get you a shipping quote for the goods you are interested in. As simple as that! Thanks!

©2014 Draplin Design Co., Dry Goods Div., Merch Dept., Portland, Ore.

STILL FILMING STUFF: And holy shit, can't wait to tell you about it, and, show it! But that's a couple months away. But I can't say a fuckin' thing. Our lips are sealed. And, smell like lunch, or, sweat. Weird.

Anyhoo, here's what it looks like when you are filming a prob'ly the biggest thing in yer life, and then, being the dick you are, you go and flip off the director. Business strategy.

Just a little fun "on the set." Show business.

THAT'S RIGHT, UNCLE SAM: We're paid up! Bam! On time and everything. Phew.

SMELLS LIKE CAST IRON IN THERE: Did the full tour over at the FINEX Cast Iron Cookware Co. today! Mike showed a group of us the whole process...from forging the skillet to tumbling it...to seasoning it...and then assembly and shipping! Skillets are whipping out of there like crazy! Hell yeah, Mike!

FROM LEIGH'S SEAT: That's what I looked like up there, eh? Goddamn man mountain, sweating it out in front of ALL OF PORTLAND!? Ha! Still high from that 15 minutes. Er, 16 minutes. We went over a minute. Sorry, we were going as fast as we could! Thank you to all the people of TEDxPortland who gave me that shot! Super fun, surreal and wild. Thank you!

Photo by Jared Eberhardt.

JUST MOMENTS AWAY: From going out on that big stage at the TEDxPortland super event! We're opening the show with the most feverish 15 minutes we've ever delivered to an audience. Kinda freaked out, actually. Jared's here filming all the before and after, which will be fun to see later on. Get that camera out of my face! Ha! Excited to see D'Wayne Edwards, Frank Moore, James Keller, Isaiah Holt and Zach King! Okay, just about showtime...SHOW BUSINESS!

(Thanks, Portland!)

SO FAR, SO GOOD: Really diggin' all the talks at TYPO SF. My favorites so far have been Josh Higgins, Victor Moscosco, René Knip, Prem Krishnamurthy (Great to meet you, man!), Gemma O'Brien, Emmet Byrne and Emory Douglas! Yeah, that Emory Douglas, the brother behind the graphic design of the Black Panthers! Wow. So heavy. Think about all the bullshit careers in graphic design...entire lives making shit no one cares about, right? And then think about the stuff that guy makes. So cool. He just wrapped up and I am sort of embarrassed to be going after him. How does one follow that kind of guts? Thank you, Mr. Douglas!

Alright, I'm going on that stage and am going to LAY WASTE. Minutes from now...

NO TIME FOR SPECULATION, RANTS OR CHAMPIONING: We're busy being campers at TYPO SF! Bring on the talks!

OFFICIAL BUSINESS DOWN IN SAN FRANCISCO TOMORROW: So we're hopping a flight down tonight! We're heading down to the TYPO SF conference! We'll be a camper there tomorrow, seeing all the shit, and the on Friday, we tell our WHOLE STORY. Boom!

SURE DOES TAKE A BITE: We got our taxes in today. Done! So relieved. And hell, a week early! For me, that's really good. Special thanks to my buddy Will for helping me with all this stuff. A professional guy who keeps this man mountain in line. Very appreciated, sir.

OUR NEW DDC ACTION CAP: This one's called "Storm Cloud" and it's got a killer turquoise patch on it. Get one here! Go! Fucker's are going fast! Act now!

WE MADE IT BACK IN ONE PIECE: And of course, worked around the shop, tinkering on this-n-that. How we do it. Out of the frying pan, and right into the toaster! We're already prepping for our upcoming TYPO SF talk this week in San Francisco, and holy shit, only the 15 scariest minutes of our life this upcoming Saturday at TEDxPortland! Us, on a stage in front of 3,000 ortlanders! Might get asked to leave town after this one? Anyhoo, we're excited for the upcoming week. The show WILL go on.

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MANDATORY VIEWING: And, we watched an incredible documentary on Geraldine Ferraro, and you should two. American hero, that lady!

NOT WANTING TO LEAVE CANADA: The logos are just better up here. And shit, I didn't even get to meet Wayne Gretzy or take in an Oilers game. Damn, Edmonton. I didn't know you were this big? Warn a guy, will ya?

We did another workshop this morning, where I blather on and on about projects, how shit goes down, and whatever else I could pack in. One kid wrote, "Man, that guy can talk." That's the idea, right? And we delivered.

The biggest, hairiest, American/Canadian thanks to all the badasses of The Hunt and Gather for putting this on, putting me up, and, putting up with me for the last 24 hours. Went too fast! And to the good people of Startup Edmonton, too! Beautiful facilities with the coldest water! Thanks! And holy shit, thanks to MacEwan University for the use of their incredible "United Nations" lecture hall. The best! So great, with awesome A/V capabilities. We filled that room!

Man, I'm just happy as shit to have been able to visit Edmonton, and Saskatoon this week. Thanks to all the folks who came out to the show, bought some merch, ate a sandwich with me, shot the shit, hugged it out...ALL appreciated! Thank you.

EDMONTON, WE THROW DOWN WITH YOU ALL DAY TODAY: Okay, first off, check that poster! Check that face! Off all the posters in my "Gig Graphics" section, this bad boy just be the front runner! Equal parts "scary as fuck" and "so awesome!" I mean, I try to place myself in the shoes of some kid seeing this poster and thinking, "Should I go to this? Will I get hurt? What's up with that guy's face?" And that's perfect. Thank you, Hunt and Gather!

Design is so nimble, precious and twinkling. This posters beats that stuff down dead. With that said, we've got a full day waiting for us in Edmonton! Hopping the flight out of Saskatoon in a bit here!

Be there, Edmonton! Two workshops and a speaking fiasco! We're giving you guys everything we've got. Seriously. Okay, bye.

Randy's outside and I gotta load my shit out of this room. Thanks to all my buddies in Saskatoon, too! Appreciated. Bye!

ANOTHER SHOW IN SASKATOON: Yesterday we got to do the FUZE Conference. A killer day. Ate like a king, met a bunch of Saskatoon champions and got to tell my whole story. Thank you, Jacqueline!

And tonight, we're doing the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada Saskatchewan North chapter! That goes down at Louis' Loft at 7pm! Be there, Saskatoon! We'll be presenting our somewhat esteemed multi-media presentation that we call "Tall Tales From A Large Man." Our whole story!

And damn, check out that poster up above! Printed by the good people Odelay Design, with proof here!

And, word on the streets of the Canadian Prairie is that one Allan Lorde will be in attendance! Damn! Fired up to meet this guy. Been a fan for some time.

Alright Saskatoon, this one if OFFICIAL! 7pm at Louis' Loft! See you there!

SASKATOON, WE LOVE SAYING YOUR NAME: We're telling our WHOLE DAMN STORY, warts-n-moles and all today at the FUZE Conference! I'm up in the hotel room crying right now, scared. It's gonna be a tough Canadian crowd! Go easy on me, Saskatoon. Man, I love saying, "Saskatoon." Just a fun word to come out of a mouth. And, a kick-ass town. Okay, gotta get my ass back down there to tell my story...

WE'VE GOT OFFICIAL BUSINESS ON THE CANADIAN PRAIRIE: And this morning we're heading up to Vancouver, hopping the border, then catching a Canadian Rockies jumper flight over to Saskatoon. Canada! A strange and magical place!

STRANGE AND MAGICAL: Man, we love Canada. And this week, we're heading to Saskatoon and Edmonton for some speaking gigs. Tomorrow! Gonna be awesome. So today, we're thinking about Gordie Howe and Joni Mitchell and incredible Canadian logos, preparing for our upcoming week...

GLAD TO BE DONE: Got our tax numbers done today. What a slog. Every year. Our yearly battle. For America. A small price to pay for living in the greatest country on the earth, right? I sure am thankful to live here. Thanks, USA.

And man, we love that IRS logo. One of America's best logos. I'm sure it'll be killed off at some point, like all the other good shit.

SATURDAYS SHOULD BE AWESOME: Not this one. It's a battle between me and a shoebox of receipts. Just adding up all the bullshit from 2013 for tax time. Big fun. Crunching those fuckin' numbers. And, we're looking good! We might even get them in "before April 1!?" That would be a TRIUMPH for the DDC. Adventures in American taxpaying!

HARD TIMES FOR THE DDC: First off, I didn't want to leave Cleveland. I wanted Little Jacket to adopt me, put me to work and then hose me down at the end of the day. Damn. Cool shop! Check their stuff out.

And of course, I hated having to get on that plane and leave Mom behind. Always hate that part. My sweet, little mom, having to drive all the way back to Detroit all by herself? What kind of son does that kind of thing? Well, my mom isn't like other moms. She's tough, in a nice way. It was great having her as "security detail" in and around Cleveland. And I already miss her. Bad. See you in three weeks, Mom!

Special thanks to AIGA Cleveland and Cleveland Whiskey for taking such good care of me. What a kick-ass show. Thank you!

And EXTRA SPECIAL "FUCK YEAH" thanks to OK Pants and Jayson Shenk for coming to the show! Boom!

THREE TIMES TO THROW DOWN WITH THE DDC: Alright, Cleveland. Settle down. We're back and we're telling our story to AIGA Cleveland all day today, culminating in a go-for-broke design lecture/speaking fiasco later tonight! Serious stuff, serious stuff.

Here's the official link to "Aaron Draplin Day." Wow! Got a good ring to it, right?

Three events, so, hell, pick one, or pick them all. We reckon you should pick them all.

(From the AIGA Cleveland site...)

01. Behind the Scenes with DDC
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Get a look Behind The Scenes Of DDC. Aaron will share his process, a sneak peek of open jobs, and insider tips and tricks. Once Aaron has shared his insight, he'd like to hear from you! Feel free to bring along some work examples. The subject and material of this event will be different than the evening event.

02. Lunch With A Leader:
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
If you’re looking for some time with Aaron in a more personal setting, this is it! Aaron will be hosting the Lunch with a Leader for March. This event is open to members only, space is limited.

03. Design Speaker Series:
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Continuing the celebration of AIGA’s Centennial year, AIGA Cleveland is delighted to present a straight up shot of the formidable Aaron Draplin, with a chaser of warm and bright: Cleveland Whiskey.

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So what's it gonna be, Cleveland? Figure it out. We look forward to GIVING IT OUR ALL, all damn day. For you, Cleveland!

UP TO CLEVELAND: And damn, we like the sound of that. But, we didn't want to leave Columbus. Met so many nice people there, I just wanted to stay and maybe start a band with Jack, or have Mackenzie hire me to sweep up the MindMarket, or maybe get a job at the record store a couple blocks away? Many options. Had a great time telling my story. Ate precisely every 19 minutes. Slept like a dead man for a couple nights in a loft apartment. Ate a Spam sandwich at a Tiki joint. All in all, a kick-ass couple of Columbus, Ohio days. Thanks, you guys! And to all you students: Stay fuckin' wild, and, MOVE SOMEWHERE WILD, while you have youth on yer side! That's an order, you scrubs!

Oh yeah, I drove up to Cleveland, loaded in to my hotel, got Mom sorted out, and then we went and hit the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame down on the shore of Lake Erie. Alway dig hitting that place up. Lots of cool shit to wonder about, and a fun building. Tons of artifacts and history. Sid Vicious boots. Bruce Springsteen album title ideas while recording Born To Run. Wow. Michael Jackson clothes. Replacements artifacts. A ton of weirdo Jefferson Airplane stuff. Old blue guitars. Hell, Muddy Waters' guitar! Jimi Hendrix childhood drawings. Weird punk shit. Weird new wave shit. The initial Public Enemy logo sketch! Funny Rolling Stones outfits. I think my favorite item was a couple of gigantic stage props from a Neil Young tour. Big tweed amps as tall as you are. So cool.

Up above, that's a drawing Joni Mitchell did some years back. Markers. Pretty incredible.

Mom and I had a good time, then went and hit Chop for a square meal. We had steaks.

Tomorrow, Cleveland! A jam-packed, whiskey-soaked motherfucker of a day! Excited!

YOU BETTER BE THERE, COLUMBUS: Calling all Columbus College of Art & Design champion students! Call all Columbus designers! Hell, all Ohioans! C'mon, Columbus. One night only!

We came all this way! Braved turbulence and elbows and dying electronics to get here. We'll be telling our road-tested story tonight, with updates and twists and turns, and that shit's getting going at 7:00 in the PM. Here's the Facewhizz superlink for tonight's gig at MindMarket!

Us, telling our whole story. Orange stuff. Long dogs. Tall tales. Logos. Vectors. Laffs. Questionable content. Big words. Small ideas. Sweat. Fun. Multi-media. Full DDC merch table. Be there, Columbus!