Aaron Draplin, graphic designer and sole proprietor of Draplin Design Co., visited Gainesville on Thursday, April 13 in what was AIGA Gainesville’s first major event as a newly formed chapter. Held at The Wooly in downtown Gainesville, the occasion boasted a crowd of about 150, with a lively exchange between local creatives and designers (with Draplin himself in the mix). Also present: DDC’s merch table, chock-full of patches, posters, Draplin’s signature Field Notes, and Pretty Much Everything: the designer’s popular book, released last year. Leigh McKolay, Draplin’s partner and DDC Merch Goddess, moved sales and autographs smoothly and the AIGA Gainesville DDC-themed photo booth stayed pretty busy, too.

Draplin’s bold and colorful approach to design carried over into his presentation, where he led the crowd through his past and current work as a designer, the inspiration he draws from his family and friends, and his work with major cultural figures. Highlights of the talk centered around aspects of making the book: insisting it be affordable; gratitude for every person who worked on the project; pressure to complete the work under a tight deadline; and the inevitable acceptance of typos. Packed with thick lines and fully saturated with Pantone 021, Pretty Much Everything is, well, everything.

Bonus: a very gracious Aaron Draplin answered audience questions, signed books and merch, and took selfies with attendees until everyone was satisfied. We couldn’t be prouder of this stellar event, and realize we have set the bar very high for upcoming events!

AIGA Gainesville would like to thank Aaron Draplin and Leigh. A special thank you to AIGA Gainesville member, Michael McAleer for designing the awesome posters.

We also want to thank our sponsors: The Wooly, Signs by Tomorrow, Kaboom Fireworks, Renaissance Printing, Thornebrook Gallery, StorterChilds, and Holiday Inn University Center.

More photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page and our Flickr page.