Draplindustries Gazette #1
September, 1998

Draplindustries Design Co, a horror story.
“Here’s to summer ending.”

Welcome. Hello y’all…this school stuff offers us some frisky little email possibilities and I’m gonna take advantage of them something fierce.

Every now and then I’m gonna send out a little update. What the hell.<<<

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The mayhem began about a month back in Anchorage. I loaded Red up and embarked on my final “southbound mission” of the summer. August 10th and I’m screaming down the Al-Can highway…hittin’ critters and potholes and outrunnin’mounties…

I made it down to the Bend, Oregon in one piece after 4 days on the road. It was nice to be home, seeing the boys and getting free bagels. I cleaned out my storage unit and loaded Red to the hilt. He can handle a load, you betcha. We took off, teary eyes and all headin’ due east all the way to Yellowstone where we took a little breather. That next day I fired Red up and we shot across the Northern Plains all the way to Minneapolis, the new site for Draplindustries operations. 5000 miles in 8 days of pure pedal-to-the-metal road action.

Back in January we made our way up to Minneasota to check out the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. (MCAD) I took in my pile of freelance endeavors and gave ‘em my all. We chatted, ran over course outlines and expectations, a thorough introduction. I passed out some stickers and promo packets and hit the road. I liked what I saw…killer facilities and an excellent, contemporary, progression-fueled graphic design program. A couple weeks later I applied and got myself accepted! Then I applied for a scholarship and got myself funded! It was set in stone. Academia!

Why Minneapolis? The program fired me up pretty good and just thinking about living in the city sounded good too. So many bands and so many design agencies pumping out some great images. Plus, I wanted to get out fo the mountains for a bit…ground myself a little and buckle down on some studies. Ever since the Associates Degree back in ‘93 I have had grand aspirations of finishing up the schoolin’ on the backburner.

I guess I’ll be here for a couple years. Studying and designing and seeing bands. I’m sharing a little apartment with this young lady from back home by the name of Sarah Blue. Oh, she’s a firecat! She’s gonna be attending the Aveda Institute learning the finer techniques of coloring hair and giving facials and mixing up lotion potions. We live 6 blocks from the Mississippi.10 blocks from downtown skyscraper-ville. I built a loft, a feat of engineering in itself…the computer and peripherals are nestled below it…stacks of discs, mags, ands tools scattered all over hell…and guitars within reach. The city offers everything…record stores, tons of thrift opportunites, so much to do on a cultural level…in the Midwest? Darn tootin’! Hell, the Mall of America is only 10 minutes away for all yer consuming needs. Shop, shop, shop!

I have a little over 2 years worth of credits to complete and I’ll have a BFA in Graphic Design. Then I’m gonna go out and get a job. I’m gonna make money designing up stuff. That’s the plan. A simple set of goals for a simple guy.

I’m settled and already wrestling with class duties…

1. Typography 1- (back to the basics to sharpen some skills…)
2. Graphic Design 1 - (this might be a bit remedial…time’ll tell)
3. 3D Foundation - (sculpture! space problems! wood! metal! clay!)
4. Cartooning 1 (yikes!…fun!)
5. History of the Masked Man (my “academic elective”..tee-hee)

I even have a couple freelance projects in the works…my first packaing design for a rockband CD….full color and all!…some layouts for Pok magazine (which is growing reallyreallyreally fast in content and craftmanship!)…too much to do for the kid and that’s the way I like it.

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That’s the good word. The Minneapolis skyline rests in the horizon…

aaron james draplin

PeaEss: Scope out last month’s issue of Snowboarder Magazine, the “buyer’s guide”…seems my buddy Eric Campbell back home got a wild hair and thought I was noble enough to make the pages…the “BrosNotPros” section…pg.192 for a good laugh.

These Kids Make The World Go Around!

1. Chad Smith got a photo published in the new Transworld Snowboarding…an ad for MLY snowboards…page 34-35…a bitchin’ shot of Jason Lilly in some Bachelor Backcountry! Yay Chad.
2. The Dopes from Traverse City have a new disc coming soon…I hear the artwork is gonna be great.
3. Roger Cameron is getting a “Brain Floss” in an upcoming issue of Transworld Skateboarding…amazing illustrator kid who works for Lego!
4. The new issue of Pok Magazine is out…congrats to Campbell/Deans/Brydges. Looks amazing…
5. Go to “www.camworld.org”… an old college pal who has a great page of information relating to new media and web design and other tidbits worth checking up on…the kid is a genius…a dripping genius.