TOMORROW’S THE BIG DAY: One day out from the big show tomorrow at Office PDX! Well, “big” might not be the word, but it sure feels big to me. I’ve never really done this “solo art show” stuff before, so, you know, it’s kinda freakin’ me out. You beasts better show up! I’ve been racing to get all the goodies done.

OH YEAH, THE PITCH: Portlanders! Tell all yer friends! 6-8pm over at Office. Simply called the “Aaron James Draplin Art Show.”

SERIOUSLY, MAN: Stuff up on a wall. Things you don’t need. Meet the parents. Get barked at by the World’s Smartest Dachshund. Stock up on Field Notes. Have a drink. Talk some shit. Make friends. Celebrate vectors. Get orange. Hug someone. Hug Cory Grove. Fair prices. Loose talk. Network with other creative people. Something for everyone. Surprise. Portland’s greatest selection of cool office supplies. All ages. No cover. Small parts. Easy instructions.

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ABOUT THIS POSTER: I’ve wanted to make a so-called “career-spanning” poster for some time now, showing every little logo, wordmark and whatever else I could fit into it I’ve made. It’s been on the project list going on four years now. And each year, the jobs would starting lining up and I’d say, “Oh shit, just wait a month, and you can put this/that into it…” And the years went by.

So yeah, with the show at Office, the time was now. So I start going through the files. And I mean EVERYTHING, all the way back to the dawn of the DDC back in 1993. So gross.

And that’s what you get: A poster called “Pretty Much Everything Up To May 27th, 2009.”

Hope you guys dig it. That’s everything. Right there. Phew.

Here’s a bigger version, so you can see what you are messing with.

WORKS GREAT FOR:

- “Oranging Up A Wall” in your home, apartment or jail cell.
- Kindling in survival situations.
- Lining dachshund puppy crates.
- Logo inspiration, that is, if you like thick-ass lines and the letters, “D,” “D” and “C.”
- Type inspiration, that is, if you like Futura and Trade Gothic
- Sprucing up a stodgy design shop. You know who you are!
- Keeping the DDC alive, in heart, home, office and vessel.

SOME SCENES FROM THE PRESSCHECK:

01. “The first makeready.”
02. “Esteemed pressmen, calibrating something.”
03. “Dad’s dot gain looks fine.”
04. “Get ‘em going, fellas!”
05. “One good looking stack.”
06. “Now we’re talking.”
07. “One final taste test.”
08. “Staring Scherba down, mere seconds before project approval.”
09. “Signing off.”

PRODUCTION NOTES:

- 80lb Uncoated “Way White” stock
- “Factory Floor Orange” and “Dachshund Nose Black” imprint.
- 24” x 39” in dimension. (Biggest sheet we could fit into the machine!)
- Printed by the good people of Graphic Arts Center, Portland, Ore.
- No expenses were spared in this production.
- All the warts and moles.
- “Kinda Limited Edition” of 1500.
- The funnest thing we’ve ever made.

OF COURSE:

These posters will be offered for a fair price at the show. Hand-numbered, and rolled up for easy transport. And to all of you out there in Internetland, we’ll be offering these for sale starting next week. Just waiting on the cool poster tubes. I can’t wait to see Dale in the line at the post office holding 187 of these fuckers. Set aside some funds. Think of it like, “The price of lunch for two days, shipped right to yer goddamn doorstep.” Something like that. You need this. Way orange. Pretty much everything.

GRAND CANYONS OF APPRECIATION TO THESE HUMANS:

Leigh for patience, Nakamoto for proofreading, Goo for something I can’t remember right now, Scherba for print muscle, the good people of Graphic Arts Center, Sherowski for grammar help, Tony and Kelly of Office PDX for believing in me, all the life-giving clients for giving me a shot and each and every one of you who read this halfwit site.

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GREATNESS FROM A TO Z AND BACK!: Minneapolis Mike Davis’ completely awesome Alphabet Poster gets boiled down into little plastic glops and comes to life as keychains. Too much to process. Wow.

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HOME OF THE GOO GOO DOLLS: When was the last time you were in Buffalo? Go there right now and check out the “Signs of Buffalo.” I’ve been there one time, in 1997.