Ideabook.com
Ideas, articles, and resources for graphic designers and marketers by author and designer Chuck Green
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Latest posts
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Horse walks into a bar, bartender says, “Hey why the long face?” Etcetera…
Comedian A. Whitney Brown said, "The saving grace of humor is, if you fail, al least you don't have anyone laughing at you." Take a break—here, for better or worse, are some favorite stories and jokes. The post Horse walks into a bar, bartender says, “Hey why the long face?”…
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AI: The tools change. Human nature does not…
Imagine living in the 1800s, in a world built around the horse and buggy. Then, one afternoon, a modern electric car speeds silently down the road beside you. It would be frightening, fascinating, and profound. Our first instinct might be to define it in horse-and-buggy terms,…
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New from Chuck Green’s Ideabook Desk…
May 19, 2026 I just discovered that I have never added Yellow Design Studio to my list of Type Foundries–yikes! They are the designers of one of my all time favorite fonts: Verb. They also have a significant lineup of other faces including many vintage and distressed typefaces.…
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Ruling pens, stencil brushes, Speedball nibs, and inspiration—Remembering Michael Clark
My idea books include a section devoted to commissioning work from illustrators and photographers. I said there and repeat here that artwork commissioned for a specific project has an impact like nothing else can—it makes the publication uniquely yours. The post Ruling pens,…
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The design system that refused to age
As I heard it, Tom Shortlidge worked at Young & Rubicam in the late ’60s and moonlighted part-time at Crate & Barrel to make ends meet. The owner, Gordon Segal, asked him to take a look at some packaging designs he was considering. Mr. Shortlidge had a better idea. Make no…
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Why should a designer learn to draw? Meet Thomas Starnes Jr…
While we’re on the subject of drawing (recent post), let’s visit someone who has mastered it: Thomas Starnes Jr. (I’m guessing he’d tell you he’s still learning.) Why would a designer learn to draw? I got thinking about this when I asked Thomas, generally, why it’s…
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More on photographer Reid Miles…
Based on the response to my earlier post (here), there seems to be lots of interest in the work of photographer Reid Miles. Following is a bit of a Reid redux. Recently, Jackie wrote to tell me she has 7 signed photographs by Mr. Miles. Her father, she told me was the director…
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Remembering the intrigue of postal mail…
I’ve always enjoyed writing and receiving letters. I was going through some personal papers recently and was reminded just how often I corresponded with friends and associates prior to the 1990s. The subject of postal mail may not be front and center these days, but it certainly…
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American Caricature: The art of caricature illustration and the subculture surrounding it…
I’m sure you’ve seen a caricature artist at a theme park or fair—they’re the folks creating on-the-spot illustrations of their customers—no pressure. I gained an appreciation for this skill sometime in my early teens when my mother (always my biggest promoter) got me a gig doing…
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Remember Best Products? Its logo? And its art and architecture?
Some time back I saw a post on Quora asking: “Which is world’s most expensive logo ever?” And that got me thinking about Best Products. In 1979 I was working as a freelance designer at (among others) Webb & Athey (their advertising agency of record at the time), when Best…