Time passes. And humans have always kept track.
Distribution and technology combined to create a few decades where the tear off daily calendar was nearly ubiquitous (read on for details on my new one, a collaboration with Debbie Millman).
First, the industry needed to efficiently produce a block of 365 pages, each being easy to tear off.
And then it needed a culture that would be attracted to a long tail of cartoons, brands, hobbies and personalities.
Finally, publishers would need a nationwide chain of stores to merchandise and promote the perfect gift item for a few weeks of the year, just before New Year’s.
A day-to-day calendar is a lovely gift, even if you’re not stuffing a stocking. It is just frivolous enough, thoughtful enough and specific enough to give the recipient a smile, without incurring too much of an obligation.
The timing for calendars was a miracle. Each year, the new year starts just a week after the biggest gift-giving holiday.
As you can imagine, they sold a lot of calendars.
Now, distribution has changed, and so has tech. People don’t need a calendar to know what day it is, and their desk is a very different place than it was before everything was on a device. The lead time for calendars is still long, but the ability of a nationwide chain to display them isn’t what it used to be.
Not the best time for me to start creating calendars, but that’s okay. Last year’s calendar ended up being the fourth bestselling one the company published, and we’re back this year.
Almost all of the calendars made now sell online, and most of the orders happen months before the holidays. They don’t sell nearly the way they used to, but I still like the way they ground us in the moment.
This year, I created the calendar with my friend Debbie Millman. She’s the original podcaster, a dean at SVA, and a gifted and generous artist.
Here’s the link to check out the calendar.
Debbie has been reading this blog for decades, and she picked some of her favorite riffs, then hand-lettered each on an iPad. It’s already a #1 bestseller in at least one category.
The publisher prints their entire supply all at once and won’t make any more. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks, Debbie!
