Be bookish – a new habit
When was the last time you read a book? I mean, really read a book?
We’ve moved away from the practice of reading. It takes discipline, and it’s so much easier to scroll through your phone instead, picking up headlines or pieces of trivia along the way. Stephen Marche of the New York Times put it beautifully when he said:
“the bookish are a tribe in resistance now… every person who picks up a book is consciously turning away from a screen.”
I love books – and here’s why:
1. Books are curated – they filter out all the garbage
The value of a book can be boiled down to the information within it and the time and care taken to produce it. By this I mean the research, the investigation and the rigorous debate over every editorial decision. Taking a deep dive into a well written book is so much more satisfying than scrolling through the net.
2. Good books are a perfect marriage of copy and design.
I love the challenge of using design to help set the tone for how information inside a book is received. Even the most amazing piece of writing still needs the support of great creative. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve picked up a book because of its captivating cover design, (not that I’m advocating you judge a book by its cover).
3. Great books enrich the lives of the people who receive them.
One of my favourite things to do is connecting family and friends with a great book. My niece is in her final year of high school, and about to embark on a major work for her fashion and textile class. So, for her birthday, I gave her a few beautifully designed and thoroughly researched books on the history of fashion, fabrics and dress making techniques.
If you take the time to find, read and match a great book with a person who is open and ready to receive its message – I believe books have the power to make a positive difference in a person’s life. We can therefore use the act of giving books, new or used, to make the world a better place. And I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Vanessa McCarthy is the Director at Tone Studio and specialises in branding and identities. If you found this post helpful we would be grateful if you shared this with a friend or colleague. Thank you.
Be bookish – a new habit
When was the last time you read a book? I mean, really read a book?
We’ve moved away from the practice of reading. It takes discipline, and it’s so much easier to scroll through your phone instead, picking up headlines or pieces of trivia along the way. Stephen Marche of the New York Times put it beautifully when he said:
“the bookish are a tribe in resistance now… every person who picks up a book is consciously turning away from a screen.”
I love books – and here’s why:
1. Books are curated – they filter out all the garbage
The value of a book can be boiled down to the information within it and the time and care taken to produce it. By this I mean the research, the investigation and the rigorous debate over every editorial decision. Taking a deep dive into a well written book is so much more satisfying than scrolling through the net.
2. Good books are a perfect marriage of copy and design.
I love the challenge of using design to help set the tone for how information inside a book is received. Even the most amazing piece of writing still needs the support of great creative. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve picked up a book because of its captivating cover design, (not that I’m advocating you judge a book by its cover).
3. Great books enrich the lives of the people who receive them.
One of my favourite things to do is connecting family and friends with a great book. My niece is in her final year of high school, and about to embark on a major work for her fashion and textile class. So, for her birthday, I gave her a few beautifully designed and thoroughly researched books on the history of fashion, fabrics and dress making techniques.
If you take the time to find, read and match a great book with a person who is open and ready to receive its message – I believe books have the power to make a positive difference in a person’s life. We can therefore use the act of giving books, new or used, to make the world a better place. And I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Vanessa McCarthy is the Director at Tone Studio and specialises in branding and identities. If you found this post helpful we would be grateful if you shared this with a friend or colleague. Thank you.