Have you ever seen images that cause you to take a deep breath? The work of illustrator, Charley Harper, does that for me. Based out of Cincinnati, Harper’s work mostly spanned the second half of the 20th century. It appeared in magazines (notably Ford Times), books and posters in the grand tradition of “Commercial Art” — my Carter’s precursor. Harper described his own work as “minimal realism” and it is really exquisite in its simplicity. I have Todd Oldham’s mammoth catalog of Harper’s work, and I often use it for inspiration in logo projects where simplicity is paramount. I was looking through the book last week and came across some of Harper’s holiday work. It made me smile and take that deep breath.

There’s no better time than the holiday season and the coming new year to think about the process of simplicity. May you and yours have a merry Christmas celebrating the simple truth of Emmanuel – God With Us.