...what Paul is able to pull off is incredible: rather then visualizing music (something all record cover designers have been involved in for decades) he actually manages to stimulate an emotion in the viewer, an emotion not unlike the one you feel when listening to good music.

... how true

This book reminds of Gregg Brokaw's — a local motion designer — music video for the deaf. Click on work, then on the seventh little circle. I have seen a longer version and an explanation somewhere but I can't remember where…

I honestly feel as though this is one of the strongest projects I have recently seen both conceptually and in execution. Paul was able to express a sensibility so often lacking in contemporary graphic design. Heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears... all of that and more seems wonderfully evident (not overpowering) in this work.

Ventures like this one deserve not only a brief applause but also lasting attention. He has accomplished something not only aesthetically pleasing, but also conceptually fantastic. Is this a 'niche market' within graphic design? Perhaps, but it is certainly one that needs to be explored!

Let's hope Paul is working on something else...

The reason I became so interested in this project is because of the matters you brought up, Bradley. Authorship has been talked about amongst designers and critics for what seems like years. A select group of designers have been able to create work that gives them creative control from start to finish. Do we label it art or design? And just what constitutes authorship? Total control? Self-publishing, writing, designing, photographing, etc? I don't know that it matters. The final product can be critiqued amongst varying contexts, but to see that designers have ambitions in authoring work carries more weight than how or where it will be categorized. It demonstrates the willingness to take control of the very medium and craft that you use day by day in service of others. It can feel selfish at times, but will carry its own rewards.

I too hope Paul is working on something else, and that his work will inspire other designers to stretch their abilities.

My appreciation for "Singing" is rooted in its accessibility. It's troubling how many times designers try to be "artists" by creating cryptic and obtuse works that seem to be important but say nothing at all. ("WHEREISHERE" immediately comes to mind.) However, with Paul's work I can show the collection to my non-artsy parents and they can get something out of it. That's quite an accomplishment. Especially since they can't define what a graphic designer does.

Especially since they can't define what a graphic designer does.

You know, I'm just fine with that. Why do so many designers insist on letting others know what we do and how we do it? Let's remain Wizards Behind the Curtain or for those with the ambition, the singer/songwriter.

I love the personality of this book. From subtle to raw, Paul weaves several styles and thoughts into one collection. Each different track takes the participant into a different and compelling place. This is a unique book, a great project, and a beautiful song.

Like all good songs, these pieces are sometimes over my head and sometimes hit me square in the chest. As someone who lives on the periphery of the designer community (I like the view but have no desire to dive in) Singing to the Deaf is for me all about points of reference. Paul unapologetically writes in his own voice, like the best songwriters, but in describing the little postage stamp of native soil under his own feet speaks of my world too. I admire the creative control that he’s exercised over a variety of mediums, and that he is not afraid a) to bend them to serve a meaning, or b) to leave potential meanings only half-explored.