It is a new year, and Francesca has been seeking a 2009 wall calendar for the office.
This is not as easy as it sounds, as Francesca believes that one’s choice of wall calendar says as much of one as, well, one’s choice of clothes.
And though there is a calendar for every whim and fancy, not every whim and fancy is work appropriate, we understand? (Yes, we all understand.)
Francesca spent hours in the search for a calendar which is:
- Visually interesting
- Not cutesy (nothing says “please be condescending to me” like a Bichon Frise puppies wall calendar in one’s cubicle)
- Not “inspiring” or “motivational” or otherwise too happy to see on a Monday morning.
- Not NSFW.
- Not feminist biotchy
- Not “soothing,” because who are we kidding?
- Not a subtley ironic statement about the workplace which no one else will understand.
- Not putting pictures of chocolate in my face all day.
- Interesting enough to be appealing, but not so interesting that visitors to Francesca’s office remember the calendar more than they remember what she has to say. (Again, the clothes analogy: the point is not for the clothes to look good, but for the wearer to look good.)
- Not trying too hard. Like the clothes, the office wall calendar must appear to be effortless though it took all day to find.
Francesca has narrowed it down to three choices:
Coffee Talk 2009 Wall Calendar
(Retro chic)
Vintage World Maps 2009 Calendar
(Francesca loves vintage maps!)
Marc Chagall 2009 Wall Calendar
What say you, dear readers?
I am all about the vintage maps.
For work, I tend to use page-a-day calendars because I don’t really have a good place to hang a wall calendar. Last year I had a fun Cranium one. I still haven’t gotten this year’s yet, but I think I might try to find another Cranium calendar.
Comment by JR — January 9, 2009 @ 8:49 am
definitely the maps.
Comment by gina — January 9, 2009 @ 9:46 am
I vote maps too!
Comment by sarcozona — January 9, 2009 @ 11:02 am
Along the lines of the Coffee Talk one, I’m a big fan of Anne Taintor (http://www.annetaintor.com). Sometimes the sayings on them are a little too risque, but this year’s calendar is fine. So fine, in fact, I feel safe hanging it on my classroom wall.
Comment by Lunakitsch — January 9, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Vintage maps are great. My calendar last year was neat — it was by Steven N. Meyers and he basically takes x-ray photographs of flowers. So the calendar was pretty, but quirky enough to be interesting.
We moved offices this year, so I’m in the same boat as JR. I’ll have to find myself an interesting desk calendar.
Comment by La Petite Acadienne — January 9, 2009 @ 11:19 am
Go with the maps. Very professional looking, yet will also inspire you to work hard so you can take vacations to exotic places! Bonus points if you put thumbtacks on all the places you want to visit. =)
Comment by Jenny — January 9, 2009 @ 11:20 am
I would go with the vintage maps. It would be appropriate for the office, and you can also use it as escapism dreaming of fantastic destinations while working the day away.
Comment by Raymond — January 9, 2009 @ 11:43 am
I dunno, I’m kind of drawn to the Chagall calendar. I have this silly habit of disassembling them, scanning the pictures, and using them as desktop wallpaper the following year.
Which reminds me, I still need to take apart my Escher calendar from 2 years ago.
Comment by ChloeMireille — January 9, 2009 @ 11:49 am
Another suggestion: Audrey Hepburn 2009
Comment by Mimi Stratton — January 9, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
The Maps.
Although I am also awfully fond of Weird Fruit. That one is more dependent upon office environment though.
Comment by Sidian — January 9, 2009 @ 1:34 pm
My pick this year is the Happy Bunny calendar. But then, I’m disgruntled…
Comment by CubicleDrone — January 9, 2009 @ 1:45 pm
I’m very fond of vintage maps, but if you’re going to go that route, I say kick it up a notch and buy a Cavallini wall calendar, very chic.
Comment by K.Dell — January 9, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
Vintage Maps, all the way! I’ve had that calendar (or variations thereon) a number of times. I love maps. Vintage maps even moreso.
Comment by Wendy — January 9, 2009 @ 2:58 pm
I don’t know about what you should do, but thanks for helping me find my calendar for this year!: http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Taintor-2009-Wall-Calendar/dp/0811863131/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Comment by daisyj — January 9, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
I work in the aviation industry and my company gives us a calendar we produce of photos of airplanes which is what we can hang on our walls. On my own I might be more inclined to the Anne Taintor or Coffee Talk.
Comment by Jane H. — January 9, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
Not that Chagall isn’t fabulous, but I’d go with the vintage maps – great for all occasions!
Comment by oliviacw — January 9, 2009 @ 6:17 pm
May I suggest the 2009 Mad Men calendar?
Comment by jinnan-tonnyx — January 9, 2009 @ 9:02 pm
Check out despair.com. It is wonderfully un-inspirational.
Comment by Jessica — January 9, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
I think a charity calendar is perfect. Maybe humane society. Im a fan of the stunning Greenpeace whale calendars.
Comment by Peaches — January 9, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
i use deviantart for user-submitted photography calendars and can always find a beautifully perfect calendar that i’m 99% sure no one else will have or even have ever seen.
Comment by melly — January 10, 2009 @ 10:10 am
http://www.baekdal.com/design/art/rocketship-tours/
The posters here can come as a calendar. It’s cool. It’s different. And it does have that rarity value. *G*
Comment by Fabrisse — January 10, 2009 @ 1:00 pm
Hard choice!
Here’s a link to a free, downloadable calendar by Mibo… print it out, spend a couple bucks at Kinko’s having it bound, and voila!
http://www.mibo.co.uk/mibo/catalog/news.php/
Comment by Belle — January 11, 2009 @ 3:31 am
If I had to choose, I’d go with the maps because I’m a great, big cartography nerd. However, I’ve been buying and giving these calendars out for years:
http://www.buyolympia.com/q/Item=Nikki09-2pack
They’re filled with Nikki McClure’s beautiful papercut prints and are the best sorts of things to have to stare at day in and day out.
Comment by LRascal — January 12, 2009 @ 1:49 am
Hey!. I am going to check it, since I saw a comment in another site regarding \”Manolo for the Big Girl!\”. Someone related to chocolate sayings. Thanks anyway.
Comment by Enrique Ibanez — February 17, 2009 @ 9:57 pm
Hi there. Not totally agree with you, but you just gave me an idea for a new eBook regarding \”Manolo for the Big Girl!\”. It is related to chocolate computer backgrounds. Thanks.
Comment by Frederika Mirtshe — February 19, 2009 @ 8:34 am