Did I ever mention that my paper shop idea came about through a conversation I had with my friend (while sitting in our tiny living room apartment) regarding the lack of nicely designed planners that were sold in stores? Yep. And I remember her suggesting to me that I should design my own planner instead.

That was early 2009.

Since then, I've created other paper goods, but no planners. (It's one of those things where you know you can do it any time so you end up not doing it at all.)

So when my friend Kevin came to me and asked if I could design a personalized planner to give to his girlfriend Lucy for Christmas, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It was like I was reminded of why I started my shop in the first place. Working with Kevin was easy—he told me what he wanted (a monthly-view planner) and suggested a few styles and colors based on what his girlfriend likes, and left the rest up to me. This allowed me to combine Lucy's style with my own design aesthetics to come up with something she will like, but that I will also personally admire. Designers should always be a fan of their own work. You stay in the profession longer that way, I think.

The finished product includes my vision of what simple planners should look like, what Kevin thought Lucy would love, and a few extra special details to make the planner truly personalized. It has thin rules, boxes big enough to actually write in, lots of room for notes, extra writing pages, and little touches of personality.

This planner is probably my favorite custom project of 2010, just because it reminds me of how I got started, and why I love to design and create things that are meaningful to people.