Draplin Design Co.
Pretty Much Everything
Aaron James Draplin

Still blown away I ever got to do it in the first place. Every time I see the book this weird feeling washes over me that “that thing was not supposed to happen.” I didn’t get into graphic design to make a book. I got into graphic design to make a living. That’s the truth and that statement still stands. When John Gall first hit me up, I tried to sell myself out of it. For a couple of reasons: I didn’t need to do it on a fiscal level, as I had built up my resources through tons of gigs, pinching pennies and saving it down at the Wells Fargo. But mainly, because I didn’t want to make something that came off the wrong way. He calmly assured me that wouldn’t be the case, and before I knew it I had a foot-thick contract in front of me to sign. And off we went!

The book is currently in its 13th printing.

Get a signed copy from the DDC direct: “DDC-126 “DDC Book - Signed Copy”
Get a copy off Amazon here: “DDC Book on Amazon.com”

Signing Off on the Book
in New York City

The best-selling books at Abrams are the cookbooks. John told me that. This was my second time visiting the Abrams offices. There was the initial meeting after signing the contract, and making my case to their marketing folks. That was in the Spring of 2015. This was a cool six months later, after making the book in the summer of 2015. Got to meet all the crew, walk the halls, sit in the CEO’s chair at the big company desk and eyeball all the amazing art in the hallways. Thank you to the amazing, patient, clever, nurturing and wickedly smart John Gall. Forever.

May 17, 2016!

So much work went into the writing, designing, tuning and hand-off of the book, as wells as the run-up to the big day of its release. I was terrified of the whole thing, unable to sleep the night before. Of course, Leigh had balloons, delectables and friends show up to the shop the morning the book came out. Thank you, Smoochie. It was such a relief to have the production behind us and so fun to scheme up just how we were going to share it with the world.

Seeing the Book in the Wild
For the Very First Time

Leigh and I drove out to Beaverton to find a proper, suburban Barnes & Noble book-store. I remember the excitement of parking and kind of running into the store—feverishly trying to find the “ArtÆ section. I came around a corner, quickly scanned all the art books and there it was on the very bottom shelf! This was the first time I got to see it in the wild! Couldn’t help but get a little emotional. All that work that went into it, all the apprehension, all the waiting…and there it was! I had a good cry, composed myself, and then went and grabbed every single copy I could and cleared out a space four shelves up, next to all the big dog books. That’s just “DDC Book” policy. Sorry.

Seeing the Book
at Powell’s City of Books!

The night the book came out, Leigh and I made sure to hit Powell’s. It was quite a moment to walk in and see it in the “New Arrivals” section with all the other new book! Then upstairs to the Purple Room to see it living and breathing with all the art books. I spent so much time there as kid flipping through art and design books. What a moment! A couple weeks later I got to do an official signing there, and you’ll see my guestbook note below!

Scenes From Settling in
With the Book

It was a good year or so before I got comfortable having the book around the shop. As excited as I was about the whole thing, I felt a weird unease. Maybe it was the making of the thing, so nervous it would be a dud? Maybe it was the FUCKING DELUGE of devastating typos uncovered in the first run? I got over it quick. The book just wasn’t supposed to happen. So thankful for the opportunity.

Práctimente Todo!

I remember my Abrams Books editor John Gall calling me, “They are printing the book in Spanish!” In Spanish? What? He didn’t have all the details, but relayed that a group from Spain was translating the book into Spanish for a run in Europe! Wow! Maybe a month later I got my one and only copy, and keep it right next to the first official copy John sent to me. Mindblowing, really.

Thank you to the good people of Anaya Multimeida! Gracias, gracias!

You can order it here.