Dispatches: Elana Schlenker

A side story. As you know, I haven’t been a photographer in many years now, and I’m always telling anyone who will listen that photography is a skill that is improved by repetitive motion, so I do the interview with Elana at the Blurb office then later that same day we do the same interview in front of an audience for San Francisco Design Week. And…I…forgot…to…make…her…portrait. Wasn’t that I didn’t make a portrait I didn’t like. Oh no, I had to go one step further and forget to make the portrait in the first place. Not once but twice. You could say I’m out of practice.

Elana was kind enough to provide the portrait you see here. Thank you! Elana Schlenker is a doer. A designer, art director with a focus on book design. In addition she produces a wonderful publication titled “Gratuitous Type.” What is this thing? In her words, “Gratuitous Type is an occasional pamphlet of typographic smut.” This has to be the best subtitle in history, and this magazine is flat out beautiful not to mention filled with the kind of things that make me what to make, style, design, shoot, show, etc.

There are a lot of people out there who don’t think this is possible. Elana proves it is, and does so with a publication that is intensely personal as well as popular. Even the folks at MOMA have it in their collection, always a sign you might be on to something. There are many points to take away from this interview. Have a listen and just do.