Design your own drop cap | Jessica Hische's Skillshare class "Introduction to Lettering"

Though years out of school, I still get that autumn ache for new notebooks and a set of my favorite pens (office supplies have always been my jam).  This year, I'm exploring a new learning platform with

Built on the ethos that everyone is a teacher, Skillshare believes that everyone – from leading industry professionals to budding, passionate enthusiasts – has something to teach and to learn from each other.  Skillshare offers classes spanning a range of creative fields, from Advertising, Business, Fashion & Style, Music, Photography, Technology, Design and Writing & Publishing.  Best of all, their online classes are project-based and entirely self-paced, so you can learn anytime, anywhere.

Designer and illustrator Jessica Hische's first Skillshare class, Introduction to Lettering: One Letterform at a Time, officially launches today.  Through video lessons and step-by-step project instruction, students get a sneak peek into Hische's sketchbooks and design process as they complete their very own drop cap letterform inspired by their favorite book.

($25 course fee, with $10 off for first-time Skillshare students)

A Work in Progress | Floral Pattern Series

A sneak peek at a simple hand-drawn pattern series that I recently took on.  This first set features the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), a favorite of an aunt who has been on my mind lately.

(Click above to download the individual colors or grab all three, here.)

108 Years of Herman Miller in 108 Seconds

To celebrate 108 years of bringing great ideas into existence, legendary American design firm Herman Miller is getting back to its roots with a behind-the-scenes campaign exploring the why behind the company's extraordinary success and innovation.  For the launch, they enlisted the help of Amsterdam-based creative studio Part of a Bigger Plan to create this beautifully minimalistic timeline, illustrating the company's rich history and its most iconic collaborations with designers like Charles & Ray Eames, Alexander Girard, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi.

Dig deeper into the world of Herman Miller with exclusive content, including designer interviews and never-before-seen archival collections.  In their own words:

At Herman Miller we think, learn, and communicate through design. It is the language through which we share new ideas, address problems, and help people do great things. Before we decide what we do, and how to do it, our conversations about design always begin with the question “why?” It is in this spirit of inquiry that we are proud to introduce WHY, a new digital platform exploring the stories behind what we do at Herman Miller. Check in each week as we turn to a talented roster of writers, artists, illustrators, photographers, and videographers to help bring these stories to life.

Massimo Vignelli on Book Design

Legendary Italian graphic designer Massimo Vignelli explains his grid-centric approach to book design, as part of Mohawk’s “What Will You Make Today?” campaign.

Just My Type | Chunk Five

On the matter of typography (begins all great anecdotes), I've found most people to fit into one of two categories: healthy indifference or the font obsessive.  As you may have already gathered, this feature caters to the latter.

Typeface: Chunk Five

Style: Slab Serif

Designer: Meredith Mandel

Courtesy of the League of Moveable Type
Free for personal and commercial use