Block Club Mugshots

By Ben Siegel

Even on our best days, most of us here at Block Club reach for a cup of coffee or tea to perk us up while working on projects. Everyone has his or her own preferred brew—coffee, espresso, black tea, green tea, etc—but we noticed that everyone also has one mug in particular that is “their” mug.

So, why do we all gravitate towards that one special mug from the kitchen cabinet? Please allow everyone to explain for themselves…

“The Icelandic Helvetica mug has been my go-to mug since day one, based solely on aesthetics; black, simple, typographical and vaguely Björk-esque. It took me over a year before I finally looked up the translation. It says, ‘I do not speak Icelandic.’ You win this round, Iceland.” – Ryan, designer

“The Queen mug, a gift from Ben, is my favorite mug because it has a photo of the Queen on it. Also because it has a smaller version of the same photo (??) on the inside rim, so when you start drinking the tea down it looks like her Majesty is bobbing in a sea of milky brown tea water.” – Julie, designer

“I love the plain orange mug I picked up in Toronto last winter; because I’m basic.” – Ben, copywriter

“Around 2 pm, I’m usually trying to beat Patrick Simons to the Pro Paint mug, which, despite looking generally repulsive, has the perfect shape/weight/general feel of a classic diner mug, which is a little comforting in an afternoon slump. Also, as Ben said: ‘Because I’m basic.’” – Margaret, editorial assistant

“My go-to is the ‘I Love Tintin’ mug because I love Tintin. Structurally it’s a solid mug with good shape and form, and it keeps coffee warm.” – Patrick, principal

“My favorite mug is the Barack Obama ‘Made in the USA’ mug. I love how it shows his birth certificate on one side and has an image of him grinning on the other. This always makes me smile when pulling open the kitchen cabinet to grab ‘my’ mug.” – Steve, project manager

“I like my mugs to have good mouth feel, meaning they just sit right on your lips. This WBFO mug has pleasing curvature and weight. Plus, it basically holds a gallon of coffee, which is my preferred amount of coffee.” – Pat S., project manager

“I’m going with my ‘Star of David’ mug. It holds a ton of tea and, well, it has my star on it.” – Dave, director of business development

“My favorite mug recently arrived as a gift from friends who visited the Playtype store in Copenhagen, after encouraging them to visit the store and that neighborhood in Vesterbro. Every time I use it, I think about the friends who sent it, along with all of our friends in Copenhagen, one of my favorite cities in the world.” – Brandon, creative director