Jessica Helfand

Jessica Helfand|Collections

Penny Dreadfuls

Nothing says I Love You like a mass-produced sentiment written by somebody else: Herewith, our very own collection of Penny Dreadfuls.

Jessica Helfand|Essays

The Little Savages

A century ago, art and design juries often favored the same participants, year after year, a corruption of power that was anything but fair. Especially when jurors favored applicants made in their own image.

William Drenttel|Essays

Introduction to Graphic Design II

Jessica Helfand|Essays

When Do We Call it Art?

Back in the pre-Banksy days of big cars and even bigger hair, there came a cultural moment noted for its prevalence of large-scaled words and symbols, a comparatively brazen visual trope that flirted with modernity by celebrating …

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Certificate of Approval

Jessica Helfand writes about her favorite piece of design.

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Does It Have To Be A Lightbulb?

You know that joke about how many graphic designers it takes to screw in a lightbulb? To which the answer is: does it have to be a lightbulb?

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Bring In Da Ponk!

There is a reason that most Americans don't think of roasted millet as a dietary staple, and it may have something to do with the fact that extracting it requires actually thrashing the wheat stalk from which it hails.

Jessica Helfand|Essays

You Never Go Down The Candy Aisle

I used to believe that the true secret of extraordinary success in the kitchen lay in skillful grocery shopping. I was doomed, it seemed, the minute I hit the market, where I was hardwired to revisit the same aisles, to buy the same …

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Sweet Spot: Cake as Craft?

Within the broad genre known as reality television — in between the astonishing displays of amateur talent and the atrocious tales of teenage pregnancy — are nearly half a dozen programs devoted to extreme displays of, well, …

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones but Print Can Never Hurt Me: A Letter to Fiona on First Reading "The End of Print"

In 2000, Jessica Helfand wrote a letter to her daughter Fiona, giving her a primer on graphic design.

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Be Careful What You Wish For

What happens when you combine People's Sexiest Man Alive with GQ's Hottest Babe? They get married!Then they split up.

Jessica Helfand|Essays

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman!

The Canada Post announced last month that it is enlisting the public's help in designing a new stamp to raise awareness for mental health issues.