A Visual Story About A Significant Object

I am thrilled to announce that New York Times Columnist (and author of one of my favorite books on branding) Rob Walker invited me to join him and project partner Joshua Glenn to participate in their Significant Objects project. Paraphrased from their website, the task is as follows: invite a writer to invent a story about an object. Invested with new significance by this fiction, the object should — according to their hypothesis — acquire not merely subjective but objective value. They decided to test their theory on eBay.

Rob and Joshua purchase objects — for no more than a few dollars — from thrift stores and garage sales. A writer is paired with an object. THey then write a fictional story, in any style or voice, about the object. And then suddenly, an rather unremarkable trinket is transformed into a significant object.

Each significant object is then listed for sale on eBay. The s.o. is pictured, but instead of a factual description the s.o.’s newly written fictional story is used. The winning bidder is mailed the significant object, along with a printout of the object’s fictional story. Net proceeds from the sale have been donated to 826 National and as of today, over $1,290 has been contributed to date.

You can see my object here, and you can bid on it here!

POSTED ON Jan.30.2010 IN News

Print Magazine features video on “making of” LBW

Emily Gordon, former Editor-in-chief of Print Magazine, interviews Rodrigo Corral and Debbie Millman about the making of Look Both Ways. Filmed by Karl Conrad and edited by Jurgen Miller.

Video can be viewed here!

POSTED ON Jan.24.2010 IN News

SiteInspire showcases Look Both Ways

The website for Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design, is given a showcase on the prestigious website SiteInspire!

POSTED ON Jan.04.2010 IN News

Dwell choses Look Both Ways as “Product of the Day”

Look Both Ways is chosen by Dwell as product of the day!

POSTED ON Dec.22.2009 IN News

Fast Company names Look Both Ways one of the Best Design Books of 2009

Look Both Ways is named one of Fast Company’s Best Design and Architecture Books of 2009!

Along with Roger Martin and Ellen Lupton, I am so thrilled to be on this list!

POSTED ON Dec.22.2009 IN News

Look Both Ways reviewed on THE NEW YORKER book blog!

The full review and a slide show can be found here!

POSTED ON Dec.19.2009 IN News

Look Both Ways Book Party

Lovely Look Both Ways book party photos by Brent Taylor here!

POSTED ON Dec.17.2009 IN News

HOW Magazine adds Look Both Ways to the February 2010 Bookshelf

POSTED ON Dec.16.2009 IN News

Welcome to Debbie Millman 3.0!

Paintings by Debbie Millman circa 1992. Part of a 100 painting installation at Long Island University.

This new site coincides with the publication of my new book, Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design. It is a book about life, art, love, design, tunes, brands, poetry, shame, and even physics. In many ways, it is the culmination of 26 years of working, and probably took its first shape when I began my radio show on design and culture, Design Matters, nearly five years ago.

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POSTED ON Dec.06.2009 IN News

A Righteous Gift

Described as “A truly life-affirming gift,” Look Both Ways was selected as 1 of 77 Righteous Gifts this year’s edition of Core77’s 77 Gifts under $77.

POSTED ON Dec.01.2009 IN News