As a child growing up on a farm in North Carolina, I fondly remember the brand new Sears Roebuck catalog, still in its crispy brown wrapper, arriving on my parents' front porch. How many hours did I spend leafing through that magical book? I really wanted to be the lady with the red spandex disco dress (hey, I was eight years old) on page 168. Or maybe my dad would spring for the big blue above-ground pool (Sears' Best!) on page 503.

My design standards have become a bit more sophisticated since then, but I will always be grateful to Sears Roebuck for showing me the power of words and images on the printed page.