Designed by Sarah: January 2026 Studio Recap

I ended up feeling overwhelmed by all of the end of year recaps and newsletters in December and wasn’t sure what I might say – I ended up just not sending anything at all. I figured my tiny little holiday gift to you would be one less piece of noise in your inbox, and decided to stick to it.

One thing I do want to share at the beginning of the year is the “ins” and “outs” list we created over the break:

Agree? Disagree?

Oh, and now I have so many things to share! December and January both went by in a flash with wrapping up work, starting new projects, and seeing things come to fruition. I’m writing this email after returning from Houston, Texas where I attended my first Oyster South Symposium. I’ve designed the last two symposia for this organization and didn’t go to the event last year because I thought, “what business do I have going to academic conference for the aquaculture industry?” – but this year plane tickets on Spirit were $54 and so I said “why the hell not” and took myself to Texas.

I actually have more thoughts about this event than I think I could fit in a reasonable-length email. But I’ll tell you the most interesting things that jumped out to me:

• This was a conference for oyster farmers, restaurant owners, chefs, gear suppliers, apprentices, shuckers, researchers, and journalists. I think it was extremely inspiring to see people from all angles of the industry come together to figure out how to grow the southern oyster aquaculture industry. I love that it’s tangible. I love that it supports the service industry, in taking care of people, and making a living.

• People asked me what it was like to be there – I kept giving the example of the design conferences I’ve been to that have been mostly graphic designers talking to graphic designers about graphic design. There are a lot of real reasons that this is the case, but what would it look like if there was a design industry conference that also featured printers, paper manufacturers, physical and digital technology, organizational psychology specialists on equal footing with everyone else? I am not the one to start this conference… but I think the holistic approach is so meaningful.

• Everyone was also just very very nice – even though I was an outsider I felt like I could ask a lot of stupid questions (“hey, so like what is a ‘Sea Grant’ anyway”) and learn so much about diploids vs triploids, oyster farming laws, import/export regulations, and shucking tips. It’s infectious to spend time in a community so passionate about what they do. I grabbed some business cards and other neat ephemera to mail out to you beautiful subscribers.

I saw a lot of people share their Ins and Outs lists for 2026, and so many of them included mentions of slowing down, using physical media, and strengthening relationships. The fire hose of terrible information bombarding us at every angle is distressing and depressing in its own right but also crowds out a major reason we have pocket computers: to stay in touch. The fire hose has made it harder to connect. I loved this list of 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again and want to jot my favorite ones down and stick them somewhere I won’t forget (I always tease Maria Ale and Megan and Miriam for randomly calling me to chat, when inside it makes me feel so cherished and close to the people I love).

We’re also collectively leaving behind this sort of “big tent” mentality of a social platform that includes everyone you know. In some ways this makes me sad, because I lose touch with people who are on platforms I’m not using (that’s why I made my own).

However, I know you’re reading and you’re probably like “but Sarah the last thing you said in your newsletter was that the risograph machine broke, WHAT HAPPENED?” – well , we’re back in action 😎 and I’ve got a backlog of things to make and send you.

Happy birthday in February to Allie, Allison, Carmen, Jared, Jessica, Kate, Nina, my husband Ryan, Sarah, Tracie, Whitney 🎂

And because I did not forget about you: Happy birthday in January to Brett, Chris, Ellen, Ginger, Hannah, Heather, James, Karolyn, Kelly, Mary, Noell, Stephanie 🎂

Warmly,
Sarah 

Oops, I bet you didn’t expect this one to be about oysters! Here are some things I’ve learned about oysters over the past few years that I love to keep telling people:

Oysters are the most sustainable form of animal protein. They emit no methane, require no land cleaning, and need no energy-intensive feed production. They can be grown by small costal farms, community co-ops, and restoration research projects.

Oysters can also filter 50 gallons of water a day. They eat naturally occurring plankton in the water, need no fertilizer or fishmeal, and can filter out nitrogen, sediment, and other excess nutrients.

(source, source, source)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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