jordanspeer.jpg
Jordan Speer

You probably noticed we made you a Design Issue, just in time for Design Week Portland. It's in this week's paper, and features some strong cover art from Jordan Speer, who is my new favorite artist. If you don't like getting newsprint under your fingernails, GROW UP! But also, you can read the whole thing here. Not sold on design? Keep reading.

Are you a lady who likes pants that don't fit horribly? You're in luck! Kjerstin Johnson sat down with Crystal Beasley, who's giving a fancy-pants talk at Design Week about her Portland company that's revolutionizing women's pants by making sure they fit. (Isn't it kinda terrible THAT'S revolutionary? Oh well. Pants! That! Fit! A! Person! Fucking finally.)

Are you confused about what Design Week Portland even is? Here's a PSA in the form of a comic by our own Suzette Smith. Don't be frightened!

Are you freaked out by development and the ever-present specter of rent hikes, no-cause evictions, and a lack of affordable housing? These are issues both historian Reiko Hillyer and developer Kevin Cavenaugh discuss with Mercury writers. Both are essential reads covering ideas as varied as access to urban spaces, better approaches to development, and what's wrong with SE Division.

Did you see the above paragraph and now you're like, "Ugh, I need a drink"? ALREADY DONE! Ben Coleman has written an entire opus on the vagaries of beer design—like, what the best fonts are for beer bottles, and how to make a brewery.

You can read all of our Design Issue articles here.