UPPERCASE { Janine Vangool }

Hello Reader, I'm happy to share that Marie Forleo's B-School will be open for registration from February 12 to 20, 2026, and classes will start on Monday, March 2nd. Since becoming a B-School affiliate in 2018, I’ve welcomed more than 200 creatives into B-School. First and foremost, being an affiliate is a position of trust, and I take it very seriously. If you don't know my B-School story yet—and how it got my business out of debt and onto the path to profitability—read and watch it here....

Becca Franks Hello Reader, Love these bendy pencils submitted by Becca Franks! (Share your pattern work for next month's edition of The Pattern Journal.) If you'd like to stretch your creative muscles or try a new direction in your artwork, check out Bonnie Christine's Print & Pattern Revival—it's a free event starting next week. ps If you're not already, please become an UPPERCASE magazine subscriber. Subscriptions keep all of this going! Use the code keepgoing for a discount at checkout....

Dear Reader, I became a graphic designer because I love looking at letterforms and playing with words. It is still a delight (and a lot of work) to design my own books and magazines—I'm designing the next issue right now. (50 pages done so far, yay!) But with an established template, page design, aesthetic, and font choices already selected for the quarterly magazine and my Encyclopedia of Inspiration series, there isn't much room to experiment. The designs for these publications have served...

Dear Reader, These are difficult times. Sometimes, I don't really know how to show up here in your inbox. But I will, anyway. Because I promised to send out this newsletter every Tuesday. And staying true to my word and my values is important to me. I stamped these messages on Sunday, pressing them so hard onto the paper that my hands hurt—imagining that if I had a letterpress, these words would be indented into the surface. Everything we do, each small act, leaves an impression. Make it one...

view in browser Dear Reader, If you're craving hands-on creativity—something that is fully immersive, tactile and satisfying—may I suggest block print carving? It is a very accessible craft that requires minimal supplies, space and time to get started—but offers immense creative potential for surface pattern designers, fabric printers and printmakers. Ali Baecker's course, called Deep Dive, promises to be as its name suggests: an in-depth exploration of block printing and creating repeat...

Dear Reader, In the best ways, subscribing to a print magazine is a romantic, old-fashioned thing to do. Funds are pledged to something you haven't seen, to be released over the course of a year. You invest in putting ink on paper. You spend time anticipating the arrival of each new issue, to be delivered by a human being who walks around your neighbourhood dropping off printed paper materials. You receive a 132-page publication filled with content curated by an editor months earlier....

Dear Reader, Nurturing one's creativity and being open to inspiration requires a conscious decision each day. It is vital that we stay connected to our expressive and empathetic artistic souls. Be caring and compassionate toward others and toward yourself. Protect this sensitivity—do not become desensitized or demoralized. Find hope, joy and positive energy even in the face of challenges outside our control. I am taking a few moments each day for some hands-on making. Yesterday, I took out my...

Hello Reader,, This weekend, I'm sharing some examples of submissions received for the Texture open call. I hope they inspire you to share some of your work for the next issue of UPPERCASE magazine. The deadline has been extended to January 20. ps Please help fund the Quilted reprint! Thank you!!! Special preorder price: CA$50. If you're shopping from the USA, the price will be converted to USD and includes a small brokerage fee—even though books are exempt from tariffs, they still have to go...

Dear Reader, Every time I type “Happy New Year,” I want to add a question mark to the phrase: Happy New Year ? I personally don't feel like adding an exclamation mark this year; that would be too presumptuous. Too loud. Too excited. Given recent world events, some might be inclined to write “Happy $%*!@ New Year” with expressive typographic characters standing in for inelegant cursing. Or, maybe the greeting should include an ellipsis: Happy New Year . . . To mark it as a time to pause,...