New York City-based Debbie Millman is a woman that’s almost impossible to categorize, wearing many design hats and doing them all impeccably well. For most people, a “day” job would be enough, but for Millman, that’s only just the beginning. For over 21 years, the Chief Marketing Officer has been employed with Sterling Brands where she’s worked with some of the largest brands in the world (over 200!) easily positioning herself as the go-to branding expert. Long before podcasts had their rise in popularly, Millman launched the award-winning Design Matters, the very first and longest running podcast that’s all about design, where she’s interviewed more than 300 people in the design world. Along the way, she’s written six books, two of which are extensions of her podcast, speaks regularly on design and branding, is the Editorial and Creative Director of Print Magazine, and is the President Emeritus of AIGA. As if that’s not enough, she co-founded the world’s first graduate program in branding at the School of Visual Arts. Luckily for us, she kindly agreed to share five of her favorite things, in this week’s Friday Five.
1. CW Pencil Enterprise
Caroline Weaver, a self-described amateur pencil collector and lifelong pencil lover, founded one of the best little shops in Manhattan, CW Pencil Enterprise. With this shop, she turned her hobby into a profession and melted every pencil lovers’ hearts with her selection, her affable demeanor and her amazing pencil of the month club.
2. The Little Golden Book of Words
This out-of-print book by Selma Lola Chambers, originally published in 1948 is simply divine. The gorgeous vintage illustrations are by Gertrude Elliott and partners each image with the specific word it depicts to help young children form the essential associations between words and their pictorial representations. A naïve treasure from a time (long) gone by.
3. My dog Duff
Duff came to me quite by accident 13 years ago, and it was love at first sight. She was abandoned twice before we met, and as a result, she is very insecure and territorial. She melted my cold little heart the moment I met her and it’s never been the same since.
Original source unknown
4. Scrabble
Scrabble is my favorite board game, and I play it whenever I can: in person, online, and against the robot players on the internets. I am always in search of the elusive bingo!
5. Brain Pickings, and Maria Popova
I first became aware of Maria Popova via her amazing website Brain Pickings. I became entranced by her curious mind, her insatiable appetite for all things beautiful and cerebral, and her respect for timeless literature, poetry and art. Then I met her in person and fell in love. Truly! We’ve been together for four years now, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to know (and love) her.
