“Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World”

It isn’t often that there is an inspiring, non-political story on the front page of a newspaper, above the fold. The Sunday edition of The New York Times features tiny sketches of cartoon characters from Justin Canha’s journal.

“For weeks, Justin Canha, a high school student with autism, a love of cartoons and a gift for drawing, had rehearsed for the job interview at a local animation studio. As planned, he arrived that morning with a portfolio of his comic strips and charcoal sketches, some of which were sold at a Chelsea gallery…”   —Amy Harmon for The New York Times

The story of this one young man’s desire to become a “famous animator-illustrator” and his teacher Kate Stanton-Paule’s special education program to help autistic youth “transition to adulthood” is worth reading. If you weren’t able to get a physical copy of The New York Times, there is a substantial amount of content available online, along with supplemental visuals and videos.

I also recommend taking a look at Canha’s Animated Cartoon Timeline featuring Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street, The Simpsons, Shrek, and more.

What to Do with Design Stuff?

“Did you know you are more likely to be a hoarder if you are a graphic designer than not? So says an independent survey conducted by me in February 2011, when I sampled five people—two of which practiced graphic design and three not. The former were stuffed with stuff. As a hoarder, your hoardings may be neatly and efficiently preserved in expensive acid-free boxes (48 percent of all those queried). Or they may be spread around, randomly filed, stuffed in nooks and crannies (most others). Yet either way, whether anal or anarchic, it is a pseudo-scientific fact that design stuff has a way of growing out of control and beyond rationality…”  —Steven Heller

Above photo is a peak into Steven Heller’s massive “bevvy of books and tschotskes.”

(via AIGA)

Vicarious Thrifting, via Twitter, new Design Observer article written by Alexandra Lange

(above Spice Jars dishtowel designed by Vera Neumann via Ship + Key)

“How To Steal Like An Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me”

I found some of these points to be a little upsetting, but also very true.

(via Austin Kleon)

Fast Company’s online companion for their new October issue highlighting the “2010 Masters of Design”  is now live.

“Former Book Designer Says Good Riddance To Print”
(via NYT’s Bits Blog, images larger via Craig Mod’s “Books in the age of the iPad”)

“Penguin designs should be seen beyond the bookshelf” (article via guardian.co.uk)

Web fonts—Where are we?
(via i love typography)