Probably my favorite all-purpose design resource is HOW magazine. It’s nearly impossible to resist dropping everything I’m doing so I can devour an issue as soon as it arrives in my mailbox. The September 2013 issue is no exception.

Chock full of fantastic articles:

• Work, Interrupted: How to Manage Time-Sucks—written for in-house designers but I picked up a few good tips here, too

• 9 Ways to Increase Profits—am still deep in the 1:1 service for time model but am looking for ideas that leverage new income streams and this feature was helpful

• A 4-Step Guide to Content Marketing—looking forward to reading this later

Plus, the issue features winners of the Self-Promotion Design Annual—always a treat to see what other creatives are working on and what kind of ideas it might spark.

I also can’t tell you how much I love the cover design on this issue. Major kudos to Might & Main for the design and Adam Ladd for art direction. The studio is also a featured winner for Promotion & Marketing Design. You can see their amazing branding campaign and read all about their creative process in HOW’s September issue. Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover?

Mary Maru