World-leading designers share the objects that made them

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Over the course of our lives we all acquire things. Some are inevitably tossed aside as we move through various stages of our career, graduating from flat shares to owning our first home and ‘upgrading’ our lives. Other items take on a deeper meaning and occupy a firm place in our surroundings. We might find ourselves drawn to certain objects for comfort, or to find meaning. A splash-out purchase bought with your first pay cheque; a graphic design book that changed the trajectory of your career; a ticket stub from the night we met our spouse. 

In this special feature we’ve invited industry leaders in design, illustration, art and architecture to wax lyrical about objects that have inspired and influenced their creative lives. And we do mean industry leaders : there's swissmiss Tina Roth Eisenberg (this page), Aaron Draplin and Merijn Hos (page 2), Sidonie Warren (page 3), Dong-Ping Wong and Jon Cockley (page 5), Jessica Hische (page 6), and Benjamin Van Oost (page 7). From old records to handwritten postcards, rare flea market finds or relics from childhood, our eight creatives share their stories and reveal the truth behind why their chosen objects mean so much to them.

Tina Roth Einsberg

Tina Roth Eisenberg is a Swiss born, raised and trained graphic designer. In 1999 she came to New York for a three-month design internship and never left. Often referred to as swissmiss after her popular blog, over the past 13 years Tina started numerous side-projects that have organically turned into businesses: a creative co-working community called FRIENDS; a global, monthly lecture series called CreativeMornings; a simple to-do app called TeuxDeux; and Tattly, a high-end temporary tattoo shop. She lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with her two children Ella and Tilo who are teaching her the art of making slime and building forts.

Notes from the Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“A paper sculpture work crafted by Stephen Doyle, the book stands open, with words seemingly exploding out of it, masterfully assembled with an X-ACTO knife and a glue gun, the box was custom made. “I remember standing there, completely out of words, overcome with joy and gratitude. This was the most generous gift I have ever been given,” reveals Einsberg. “And it is now my all-time favourite object I own. It was gifted to me during a particularly turbulent time in my personal life, a time when I was redefining my life from the ground up. For me, this sculpture represents the notion of rebirth and a sense of potential.”

Leaning in sculpture

“My father, who lives in Switzerland, suffered a stroke last year and had to move into a nursing home to get the care he needs. It was an emotional moment to see my dad, who always was a strong, entrepreneurial force in my life, losing his independence.” says Einsberg. 

“When I went to visit him in the nursing home, I noticed an artist exhibit in the entryway and fell in love with this statue by local artist Mario Campigotto. It now lives in my bedroom, and reminds me daily to stay curious, to lean into whatever life brings. My dad, even though he has almost entirely lost his eyesight and has other health issues, has stayed strong and optimistic. This statue is a daily reminder for me to stay in the energy of gratitude, just like my dad does, every single day.”

Tattly confetti drawer

“Joy is at the core of Tattly, my temporary tattoo business. So it’s no surprise to anyone that we have an entire drawer filled with confetti. When you purchase tattoos on tattly.com, you can add confetti to your package during the check-out process. Funny enough, it’s our most purchased product. We learned to be respectful and to confetti-warn the recipient: Our WARNING CONFETTI INSIDE stickers always put a smile on my face. 

"Our confetti drawer has reached a bit of a cult status and is usually the first thing people ask to see when entering our office space in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Everyone seems to agree that there is something really magical about running your hands through an absurd amount of confetti.”

Next page: Aaron Draplin and Merijn Hos

Aaron Draplin

Based in Portland, Oregon, Aaron James Draplin is a graphic designer, author and founder of Draplin Design Co. (DDC). Specialising in brand identity, logo design and typography, his client list includes Burton Snowboards, Nike, Red Wing, Field Notes, Esquire, Ford Motor Company and the Obama Administration. 

Draplin’s 2006 book, Pretty Much Everything, is a mid-career summary and story/showcase of his work that includes case studies, advice and commentary about his career to date.

Rock guitar

“I found this rock in the mud flats near Anchorage, at low tide. Would’ve been the summer of 1996, in between dish-washing shifts in the land of the midnight sun. People don’t have anything else better to do than hike, it seems. I find it pretty insufferable. 

"It was my first summer up in Alaska and my roommates were a little too ‘gung ho’ for their own good regarding outdoor activities. I’d ride my bike or skateboard back and forth to get a bite to eat or hit the record store, and found myself on the edge of downtown, checking out the mud flats at low tide. That’s where I found this rock on the shore, and noticed the peculiar shape to it. 

"I just couldn’t leave it behind. How could it exist? How could I find it among the zillion other rocks out there? Some kind of Fender Jazzmaster/Guild Jetstar hybrid? Back at the house in the corner of the living room that I rented I got a little white paint and some ink and then went to town. 

"It was just a weird little instance that nature can throw some pretty incredible curve balls. It’s a reminder of the power of the universe, and happenstance, and randomness and one-in-million moments. Beauty can be found in so many things that we tend to overlook. And I didn’t want to lose what I saw in that awesome moment in those sketchy mud flats.”

Merijn Hos

Merijn Hos is a visual artist and illustrator from Utrecht, The Netherlands, known for his curious, characters and quirky illustrative work. He divides his time between working as a commercial illustrator for clients such as Bose, Red Bull, Google, The Guardian and Keds, and working on personal projects, exhibitions and independent publishing.

Baseball

“When I was a kid I was obsessed with American culture. I loved those 80s movies in which kids would ride around on their BMX bikes wearing a baseball cap and varsity jacket carrying a baseball bat with them,” says Hos. “Around the age of 10 I went to see a baseball practice game with my friends and I found this baseball in the bushes. It’s been on a cabinet in every house that I lived in ever since, as a relic of my youth. When I look at it I’m transported back to a time when I didn’t have a care in the world.”

Quick postcard

“My grandmother sent me this postcard in the early 90s after I visited the exhibition that featured all the American graffiti legends in the Groninger museum. This was when I became interested in graffiti and drawing, and possibly a key point in my life. I started writing graffiti – and graffiti taught me everything about lines, shapes, colour, friendship and dedication. Together with skateboarding it brought adventure into my life and helped me meet all the wonderful people I still hang out with to this day. It shaped my career more than art school ever did.”

Ralph Lauren baseball cap

“This is a Polo Ralph Lauren cap that I bought in the mid 90s when I was skateboarding. Within skateboarding culture there was a small group that was more into hip-hop music while the majority of the kids were into punk. I was listening to hip-hop and we were influenced by the fashion of groups like the Wu Tang Clan. They would wear Helly Hanson Jackets and Polo Sport gear and that’s what I did, too. Or at least I tried! Looking back at it we looked like kids in baggy golf clothes rolling around the city with a backpack filled with beers. A special time. I spent my last bit of spare cash on this hat, and still wear it a lot.”

Next page: Sidonie Warren

Sidonie Warren

Sidonie Warren is one half of the duo behind Papersmiths, the UK-based one-stop shop for contemporary stationery and paper goods. Moving their design studio from Bridgeport to Bristol in 2013, they transformed a small space to house their design studio and first shop, celebrating design-led goods that inspired their own day-to-day creative endeavours. By 2014, the studio team had outgrown the space and the shop was getting busier. They moved to a four-storey Georgian building in Clifton Village and Papersmiths was born. The company now has locations in Brighton, Chelsea, King’s Cross and Shoreditch.

Colorplan notebook

“I was given this by GF Smith because we often work on client projects with Colorplan papers. It was designed by Made Thought as part of the Colorplan rebrand,” says Sidonie Warren. “ I was given it around 2014 but I didn’t allow myself to write in it until 2016. I use notebooks as an aide-mémoire and also to process, develop and record my thoughts. This one is made of the full rainbow of GF Smiths’ Colorplan papers and assembled using Coptic stitch binding with a multicoloured thread. It is an object of beauty. 

I chose this particular notebook because it documents the time that I began journaling again as an adult. I was experiencing big change: going through a breakup, considering whether to open a second Papersmiths shop and thinking about moving to London. It’s a treasure trove of my grand schemes, philosophical ponderings and consequential ah-ha moments, all recorded in words and pictures. There’s the essential dose of cringe too of course, but nobody will ever see that.”

Minerals, crystals and stones

“I collect stones and crystals. Over the years friends have given me stones as gifts and these are some of them. They were given to me at significant times in my life by people who are important to me, so they’re very precious. The salt rocks were brought back from Timbuktu by a friend. The round stone is from a pal who was working in the Pacific Northwest, a place that I want to visit someday. Each one feels symbolic of times of change and learning. I’m connected to stones on a spiritual level, too. I’m interested in the esoteric and I’m learning about ancient spiritual practices with different teachers. I find it all fascinating.”

Harvest by Neil Young

“My dad generously gave me a good cut of his record collection. This record was in there. Dad bought it when it came out in 1972, so it’s 47 years old. He would have been 16 years old and living in Hong Kong at the time.

"My dad has been my biggest musical influence. When I got into Nofx and [Spunge] as a teenager, he handed me London Calling by The Clash. Neil Young holds particular significance for me. Although not on this record, After the Goldrush is the song that my sisters, cousins and I sang together at my granny’s funeral. Years later, I was at the Isle of Wight festival with my dad and After the Goldrush was put on in between acts. It was a moment of bittersweet bonding. 

I love the ceremony of putting on a record, listening to an album from start to finish, poring over the artwork and lyrics, lying on the floor, getting lost in the sound.”

Pastels

“The pastels were a gift from my mum. I was drawing with her pastels all the time so she marched me down to the local art supply shop and sorted me out with a set. Then we sat in the garden and drew pictures. I find mark-making, with pastel in particular, to be very cathartic. The versatility of the medium and the process of application is therapeutic. I can glide the pastel smoothly across the page or make vigorous, dynamic strokes depending on how I’m feeling. I’d say it’s a healthy way to release emotions!”

Next page: Dong-Ping Wong and Jon Cockley

Dong-Ping Wong 

Dong-Ping Wong is the founding director of Food New York, co-founder of Friends of + POOL, and was a founding partner of Family New York with Oana Stanescu. Wong’s work has been featured in publications including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. He trained as a designer at OMA and REX in New York and EHDD in San Francisco, specialising in public, cultural and hi-density mixed-use buildings. Wong has taught at Columbia University and is a frequent public speaker including talks at RISD, UCLA, the New Museum, Municipal Art Society, Oslo Design Council, AIGA, TedX and the World Summit on Innovation.

+ POOL Swiss Flag Postcard

“+ POOL is the world’s first water-filtering floating pool, and this is a postcard from Oana from the year it started, in 2010. She was still in Basel at the time and I think I had just visited her after we had won a competition that enabled us to travel around a bit and talk about big ideas like this. 

"The pool was still just a funny idea, but I think we’d already started working with the other two co-founders, Jeff and Archie of PlayLab, to get it out in to the world. I’m sure none of us at the time realised how much of our lives it would consume or how much of a challenge it would be, but also how many incredible people we’d meet and work with, how many cities we’d visit because of it, or how far and how large the project would get. 

"Nine years later and we have a pending patent for the filtration technology, we have a non-profit and a board, we’re in the fourth year of a youth swim program, and we’re a few years from it being completed. It is to this day still my dream and model project. Almost every project since has to try and live up to it in one way or another.”

Food Radio Behringer Xenyx QX1222 Mixer

“We started a project named Food Radio in autumn last year where we interviewed 40 artists in and around Chinatown about how they made money. We’d certainly never done a radio show before, but we’d been in the neighbourhood for a few years now and like + POOL, I wanted to initiate a project that engaged the local neighbourhood directly (only ideally with a project that wouldn’t take another 10+ years). 

"So we took over a storefront on East Broadway, bought a bunch of surprisingly inexpensive radio equipment, set up a long work table in the middle of the space, and invited people to stop by and hang out. The hope was that kids in the area would see people that looked like them (especially POC and women) doing rad and interesting stuff and actually making money from it. It’s probably the least architectural thing we’ve done and one of the most fun. We’ll be doing Season Two this autumn.”

Jon Cockley

After a decade working in publishing, Jon Cockley set up Handsome Frank illustration agency with his cousin Tom. Working mainly in the areas of advertising, design, publishing and licensing, Handsome Frank represents 35 of the finest contemporary artists and illustrators, including Jean Julien, Malika Favre and Matt Saunders. 

Frank painting

“Handsome Frank is named after my grandfather, Frank. Frank was a steam train driver, but he loved art and his house was full of paintings, drawings and carvings that used to fascinate me as a child. Often inspired by his travels around the world to what seemed like such exotic locations in the 1980s. 

"One painting, which hung in the dining room of the terraced house he shared with his wife Kate, had always stood out for me. I love the colours and naivety of the characters. The picture now hangs on the wall of my home office, where I work most days, surrounded by contemporary art by our illustrators. It’s a lovely reminder of him and my grandmother and a nice link to our company name.”

Beatles photo 

“Okay, before you decide to break into my house and steal this, the signatures aren’t real. However, this is a genuine 1960s facsimile photograph, issued by the official Beatles fan club which my mum was a member of. I love it because I love The Beatles, especially their later albums; I also love what the photo represents. The band were one of the first to have a ‘fan club’ and they used to issue limited edition Christmas records for their loyal fans once a year with recorded messages and new songs. 

"When you look at how things have developed since the 60s, it’s almost like the earliest form of social media – the idea of rewarding ‘followers’ with bespoke content and building a loyal fanbase, albeit via the postal service.” 

Handsome Frank Neon sign

“About 18 months after starting Handsome Frank, we realised we needed to make some changes. One thing that had to go was our original logo, so we commissioned designer Tom Morgan. When we saw the right design, we knew straight away. Realising that the ‘HF’ and the roundel was one seamless line, I had an epiphany: we were going to need a neon sign.

The reason I chose it for this article was what it symbolised for us as a company. It was the realisation that things were actually happening and that it had the ability to change our lives. It represented the end of working jobs we’d fallen out of love with and the start of something new and hugely fulfilling. I also love the fact that our first costly company purchase was a big, pink, neon sign!”

Next page: Jessica Hische

Jessica Hische

Jessica Hische is an American letterer, illustrator and type designer. She’s best known for her personal projects, Daily Drop Cap and the Should I Work for Free flowchart. She published In Progress: See Inside a Lettering Artist’s Sketchbook and Process, from Pencil to Vector in September 2015, which gives insight to her creative process and work she’s completed as a hand-lettering artist. 

Hische has spoken at over 100 conferences worldwide. She’s currently based in California where she shares a studio with fellow lettering artist Erik Marinovich in San Francisco’s Mission neighbourhood. Her first picture book Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave gives an inspiring message about trying your best but forgiving yourself when you don’t always achieve what you set out to do.

Bless This Mess artwork

“I went to art school in Philadelphia, and in my junior and senior years I tried to integrate a bit more into the local art scene. There were a couple of galleries doing interesting things, run by people only a few years older than me. I bought this painting at a Space 1026 show. I think it’s the first piece of art I ever bought. It was north of $100 so I felt like a true patron of the arts at 21/ 22 years old. I still love it – it’s had a prominent place in every place I’ve lived since. There’s a little intentional pencil scribble on top of an otherwise cleanly executed painting, and that’s my favourite part.”

Glamour shots

“When I was in middle school, all of the cool girls were getting glamour shots taken – the fancy ones that look like headshots for a modelling career you hoped to start. I begged my mum to get me them for my 13th birthday and was overjoyed when she did. It wasn’t the glamorous photo studio I expected, but I remained hopeful.

"As they did my hair and makeup, my spirits started to drop. I wasn’t being turned into a slightly older cool model version of myself – I looked like a chain-smoking, middle-aged woman on a bus tour to Atlantic City. The last thing I wanted to do was to show disappointment to my mum, so I went with it. 

"I took photos in an iridescent green top with my giant frosted hair. I sassily posed with a leather jacket worn backwards, sunglasses slipping down my nose. I was mortified by the results and they hid in a closet for years, but now they’re one of my most precious and prized possessions. I joke that these photos are the only thing I would save in a fire because I love them so deeply.”

Scissors from Alexander Isley

“I can’t remember what year Alexander Isley sent me these, but they were his client gift for the holidays that year. It must have been when we collaborated on a project for the Girl Scouts, somewhere around 2012/2013. 

"When they arrived in the mail I was so blown away. I didn’t think scissors could be an object of beauty. There’s an inscription on the inside that says ‘Alexander Isley Inc.: Useful & Sharp’. They were significant to me for a few reasons. First, it was crazy to be on the gift list of such a renowned designer – one who I learned about in school. Second, it completely recalibrated my preconceptions about what makes a good client gift/promotional piece. 

"I have been quite lazy about sending out gifts to people I’ve worked with or people I admire professionally, and the presence of these scissors on my desk in my life reminds me the difference that extra care and effort (and cost) can make.”

Next page: Benjamin Van Oost

Benjamin Van Oost

Benjamin Van Oost is co-founder of TOYKYO productions and art director/sculptor at CASE STUDYO. Famed for his unique artistic approach, distinctive fibreglass sculptures, beautiful porcelain and other objects, Van Oost takes limited edition artworks to the next level. Today, the creative agency based in Belgium assists international clients who are looking to add clarity, flavour and quality to their identity. TOYKYO’s products department is the heritage of its hands-on approach, and manages the entire production process of creative products and art installations for artists such as Parra, FriendsWithYou, Andy Rementer and Steven Harrington.

Wish card and motivational words by Joseph Kosuth 

“Back in 2016 my ex was working in a hotel in Ghent, Belgium and one night she came home with this piece of paper and the following story: apparently the hotel staff were very intrigued about an old man in a wheelchair who was staying in the hotel. But nobody knew for sure who the man was. The hotel staff figured that he was somebody famous and wealthy because he was accompanied by a couple of assistants, and by seeing how people interacted with him they assumed that he was some kind of big shot. 

After discovering that the man was a famous artist, my ex took the opportunity to talk with this man, and told him that I was also an artist. And so it came that he wrote me these few words on a piece of paper:

‘To Benjamin With my best wishes for your work. Remember artists never retire because it’s not a job. Joseph Kosuth. Gent 26.8.2015’

"It’s one of the best presents I ever received, and one of the rare things that I have left from that period and that girl. But most of all, the quote seems to speak to me in a very personal way. I’ve never met this man, but still I have a weird sense that those few words haven’t reached me accidentally. The content of the message is something that I already knew, but having it on paper from J Kosuth almost seemed like a sign to me. The handwriting and the aesthetics of the card also make me think of my own graphic work and calligraphy. These few words are the best, and an everlasting motivational quote that help me in times of doubt."

Limited-edition Tintin rocket

“I bought this sculpture at the age of 12, with my first savings, and the money I received for my solemn communion. I remember I paid 21,500 Belgian Francs – the equivalent of 532 euros back then in 1992. That’s a lot of money for a 12 year old! I went to the shop with the cash, partially in notes, but also with a big bag of coins. It took the girl from the shop half an hour to count it. 

"My classmates and friends couldn’t understand why I had bought a wooden rocket that couldn’t do anything; they all bought their first stereo installations and mountain bikes and stuff like that. For them I must have seemed like a real idiot spending money on that thing. Now, 27 years later, I still have my rocket, and I’m sure none of them still have the stereos or bikes that they bought back then.

"Tintin is a Belgian icon and is one of the cartoons that helped shape my youth. I enjoy this object as much as I did 27 years ago. And if any of my old classmates are reading: the value of the sculpture has more than tripled over the years, and is still increasing steadily among Tintin collectors!”

Collection of matchboxes and sugar cubes 

“After the death of my grandmother a couple of years ago, we had to empty her house. I discovered a cardboard box that contained my dad and my uncle’s childhood collection of sugar cubes and matchboxes from all over the world. They were going to put it by the trash. Luckily, I noticed the box and saved it. It’s huge and wonderful, and has been in my office for some time. It’s a treasure and a gigantic source of inspiration for any graphic designer or artist/collector. I just love it and I often use its graphics, logos and faded colours for inspiration.”

Exhibition catalogues with notes from my grandad

“I was six years old when my grandad took me to visit James Ensor, and the year after he took me to the Expressionism exhibition. These are two moments I’ll never forget and these two visits were decisive for the rest of my life. 

After seeing the Expressionists I knew what I wanted to become in life: a painter. After visiting the exhibitions with him he always bought me the catalogue (the luxury versions that came in a box) and he wrote a few kind words on the first pages of all of them. When I was seven years old he wrote:

‘To Benjamin, the big draftsman and future artist from his grandad 29.01.1987’

He’s been gone for 20 years now, but my grandad was the person who showed me my path in life. I’m thankful for the moments that have shaped the course of my life.”  

This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 294 or subscribe.

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