updated: 9 December 2025
American graphic designer Lester Beall inspired many of the designs I’ve created for the site. In the 1930s through to his death in 1969 he produced a striking range of images. The most notable were created for the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), which was created in the 1930s as part of US President Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Beall’s work is not well represented online; the best selection I’ve found is part of the Merrill C. Berman Collection.
The graphic for a post about My Values, which underpin what I do here.
A graphic designed to symbolise the discomfort and unease of antidepressant withdrawal, which is the subject of My Head Hurts #3: Antidepressant Withdrawal Pain. There are also discussions about self-harm.
The fourth post in the series, My Head Hurts #4, focuses on the side effects I experience. This graphic aims to illustrate some of those side effects.
In the post Moving Away From Big Tech, I discuss the apps and services I was using at the start of 2025 and how I’m transitioning to free or lower-cost services while moving away from intrusive big tech.
The image for Recently Read, is based on the smallest local library near my house. I’m always concerned that it’s not going to survive local government cuts, but against the odds, it’s still open.
In My Head Hurts #5: A Night of Antidepressant Withdrawal, I write about my experience during one night of antidepressant withdrawal syndrome and how it impacts the following day.
As the blog develops, the graphics are becoming more complicated to produce. The design for My Head Hurts #6: Staying Positive is inspired by Lester Beall’s work titled No 3 Photo-Engraving, created in 1938.
Field Notes
Some time ago, I created a series of (uncommissioned) designs for Field Notes Brand notebooks. One series of three books was based on Beall’s designs. Sadly, Field Notes didn’t take up my offer, but I enjoyed making them. One day, I’m going to print a set for myself.
This design is part of a series that uses photographs taken at various rodeos in Georgia, USA.
This cover is based on Beall’s design, ‘Smiling Boy and Girl’, Rural Electrification Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1930.