I’ve always loved receiving mail. As a child it was birthday cards from my grandparents. Today my mailbox is a plethora of surprises with my favorite being the retail catalog. Most people look at a catalog for the sale items – I look at it for concept, design, print and paper quality and then – just maybe – the sale items. That’s just the way I’m wired after years of working in direct mail design. Plus, I really do get excited when I see exceptional work from other designers. I file these catalogs in my file cabinet under “creative inspiration” and all the others go in my “circular file.”

December is retail’s big month, not only for in-store sales but for the amount of Christmas catalogs that they print and mail. Major retailers start designing their Christmas catalogs in the late spring/early summer. By the time the catalogs are printed and sent to the mailing house, most designers and art directors feel as if they have delivered a baby.

As a rule, Monday is said to be the heaviest day for mail delivery because of the weekend. Experts say that for a mailpiece to be noticed it should arrive on Tuesday, since Tuesday is the lightest mail day. My question is, will catalog retailers follow this rule and cause Tuesday to become the new Monday? To answer this question, I will be conducting my own unofficial, non-scientific poll and will keep you posted as the results roll in.

The photo above is of my mailbox and it was taken yesterday which was Monday. It contained a business letter, a postcard advertisement from Hallmark, a 12-page Bed Bath & Beyond catalog (wahoo, now I can buy the Pajama Jean) and a crumbled, overcrowded sale flyer that I tossed in my “circular file.” Not the amount of mail I would expect for a “heavy” Monday going into the Christmas shopping season.

Please answer one of the following questions for me before you go:

1. Do you think that Tuesday will go from being the lightest day for mail delivery to being the heaviest during the month of December?
2. Which day do YOU receive the most mail – have you ever given it much thought?
3. Should I ask my husband for a new mailbox for Christmas or should I buy one for him?

This artwork was drawn when I was working as an art director at a small advertising agency. They needed a quick illustration for their client “The Original Cookie Company”, remember them? I think that they are owned by Mrs. Fields now, but don’t quote me on that. This illustration, created for their countertop sign at the mall is the very last thing I’ve drawn with a Radidograph pen in nearly 20 years.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Rapidograph pen here’s a photo of my old ones recently rescued from the attic. Last week I bought crisp vellum paper and shiny new Rapidograph pens at Hobby Lobby to replace these. By the way, Hobby Lobby, if you need a new logo give me a call.

When I got my new pens home I was so excited to fill them with ink and, of course, made a sticky, black mess of it – all part of the creative process. I’ve also ruined the first piece of expensive vellum paper I started on. I guess now that I’ve made my first mistake I no longer have to fear making it and am free to move forward. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. I hope to have something to show you by the end of the week. Oops, did that sound like a commitment?