Meet new A:B notebook
About:Blank has been producing and distributing notebooks for two years after the launching at 100% Design London in 2009. We have been lucky to work with the best retailers around the globe, and we got some very good exposures and reviews from magazines and bloggers. About:Blank Notebook, as the first project, seemed to be successful before we got direct responses through email – or should I say critiques and inquiries.
One of the strong opinions among others was that the extra cover is excessive: the paper material for the cover is too precious to just throw away right after opening the package, and it does not quite work as a bookmark. We sort of anticipated this reaction as Seungho had insisted to not include the extra cover because it would be wasteful. Frankly, I think we were scared to not leave any bread scrum for the next purchase while leaving no mark on the notebook itself because notebook is notebook.
It is probably good time for us to move on and update the notebook because the stock is rather low at the moment, and we have a fair to attend in September. The notebook will have to go through a substantial change, and possibly will be out in two different sizes to accommodate different usages and occasions. We also have second thoughts about the white lines.
I am soon visiting Shibuya Bunsengaku, the binder in Nagano, Japan. I will discuss with Ando-san about the change of cover material, and test out new prints. Don’y worry, we won’t change the binding and white print, which are essential to About:Blank Notebooks.