Just my type design
About the artist
Just My Type features the bookbinding creativity of Donna Erickson from Missoula, Montana. Growing up on a ranch near Missoula, Donna loves working with her hands. She’s a maker, fixer-upper, and re-user. The rural background fostered a sensitivity to aged, worn materials.
Donna is a mixed-media artist, bookbinder and art journaler who loves color, texture and all things paper. She learned bookbinding at Hollanders in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the 1990s and has since built hundreds of journals, sketchbooks and planners.
From her studio in Missoula, Donna is highly active, not only with Just My Type but with gardening, hiking, ‘junking’ of all kinds, watercolor painting, and writing. Working at Skyline Ranch, where she grew up, keeps her in shape and reveals new materials for her art.
Having spent nearly two decades working in academia, Donna has a passion for teaching. She occasionally offers classes in bookbinding and mixed-media art journaling.
About the work
Just My Type work is distinctive, partly due to the use of upcycled and vintage materials—wood, leather, game boards, discarded books, vintage papers, junk mail, fabrics, music scores, and more. The list of recycled treasures is almost endless. In addition, cover designs are one-of-a-kind, featuring original inked designs. The books are uniquely beautiful, functional and innovative.
Just My Type regularly participates in juried arts and vintage shows. The work has been featured at Made Fair shows in Missoula, Helena and Bozeman, as well as other juried shows around Montana and nearby states. The focus at shows is on refillable journals made from upcycled law books, interior paneling and cowboy boots.
Each book makes a wonderful gift. It can be used as a travel journal, planner, day book, list-keeper, scrapbook, or sketchbook.
More about Donna and Just my Type Design:
Donna was recently featured on the popular podcast, Side Hustle School. Click below to listen to the full episode.
Testimonials
“Pleased as punch to receive these beauties in the mail today! Donna from Just my Type Design created these travelers notebooks from old Audubon boons. I’m looking forward to using these!”
“Thank you for my two beautiful journals I bought today for Christmas gifts!”
“I bought one of your leather journals and I just love it! Thank you for doing such a great job on it. I will treasure it forever!”
“I love these. Use mine all the time.”
“I use my boot journals at events where I sell my jewelry to keep track of sales. I can’t tell you how many compliments I get! I always flip to the back and point to Just my Type and say ‘you have to check her out.’”
“I am in love with my newest Journal~ So happy I found your journals inside The Book Peddler while on vacation! Thank you for a one of a kind souvenir to remember my travels”
“I received the books yesterday and I couldn’t be happier! Thank you so much!”