10 great notepads for designers (that aren't Moleskines)
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Every designer needs a notepad to jot down those flashes of inspiration, troche sketch out their latest vision, information pills or even just to scribble down some doodle art. And our (perhaps flawed logic) suggests the more beautifully produced the notebook is, the better it will represent your skills.
So for those of us who want an alternative to the all-conquering Moleskine, what’s on offer? Here we bring you a run-down of 10 design notebooks to die for…
01. Rhodia
Rhodia notebooks were first established in 1934 and are still going strong today. Their success is all down to focusing on quality materials and efficient designs. With a range of collections on offer, including gorgeous colourful hardcovers and sturdy ring-bound meeting journals, Rhodia has something for everyone.
This doesn’t mean Rhodia is a Jack of all trades and master of none. One area in which it has set itself apart from the pack is with its landscape Webnotebooks, which give users the option to ditch the traditional portrait journal setup.
Thankfully this quality doesn’t cost the Earth, with basic notepads priced at just a couple of dollars. The only slight frustration is with ordering: it’s not possible to buy a notebook on Rhodia’s site; instead you’re redirected to different suppliers from around the world.
02. Baron Fig
The Baron Fig is a new kind of notepad that’s been designed with an ?underlying philosophy of simplicity, usefulness and community. As the company’s Adam Kornfield explains: “We wanted something that easy on the eyes and even easier to use.”
So what’s different about Baron Fig? For a start, it opens flat. “There’s nothing worse than a book that curves so harshly in the centre that 10 per cent of the page is unusable,” Kornfield argues. There are three books available, each with a different type of paper – Blank, Ruled, or Dot Grid – so whether you want to write, draw or create a diagram, there’s an option to suit you.
The notebooks are made from high-quality, acid-free fine grain paper, allowing you to archive your books safe from fear of degradation. Plus there are 12 perforated pages at the end of every book so you don’t have to ruin your binding if you want to sketch on a sheet and then tear it off.
03. Leuchtturm
German company Leuchtturm has been making notebooks in a similar style to Moleskine since 1917, and been a long-time rival to the Italian brand. The classic Pocket version is sized 90x150mm and differentiates itself from Moleskine by numbering the 185 pages, as well as by including eight perforated, detachable sheets.
The pocketbook also includes stickers for labelling and archiving. Other sizes on offer range from The Master (spanning 225x315mm) to The Mini (which takes the shape of a 55x80mm credit card).
04. Piccadilly
Piccadilly notebooks are another great alternative to Moleskines, particularly given they’re half the price at $5. The Essential notebooks come in four styles – ruled, plain, graph and soft cover – and are sold in a range of colours.
Just like Moleskine, the small pocketbook size is 89x137mm and the pages are section-sewn at the same thickness. A straight spine and additional spacing on the top line differentiate the two.
05. Field Notes
US notebook manufacturer Field Notes has created a rough-and-ready 48-page memo book, sold in packs of three for just $9.95. Made in America, the notebooks are sized 3.5×5.5in, saddle stitch-bound and come in graph, ruled or plain editions.
Field Notes also offers limited edition and customised notebooks. A popular option is the Expedition notebook, which boasts waterproof and tear-resistant pages, making even taking notes in the elements easy.
Next page: five more alternatives to Moleskine
06. Fiorentina
For those not restricted by budget, Fiorentina offers a collection of high-end leather notebooks. An Italian rival to Moleskine, the blank, acid-free papers are manufactured in Florence and can be used even with fountain pens.
The brand also offers an alternative to Moleskine’s pocket notebook with its Ciak range of lined journals. Sized 90x127mm, the multicoloured pages come wrapped in a soft leather cover and are priced at $16 each.
Fiorentina also offers a number of other ranges, such as the sleek MOOD notebook with soft metal on the spine and the SMILE journal, made out of recycled leather.
07. myPAPERCLIP
India’s answer to Moleskine, myPAPERCLIP produces custom notebooks, journals, diaries and more on the subcontinent. The City Series above are hard cover notepads with Munken Polar Rough 100 GSM paper stock.
And for those of you with a social conscience, myPAPERCLIP contributes a portion of its sales to the Education Fund for underprivileged children, and its classically simple designs are created with paper from environmentally-friendly sources.
08. Cast Iron Design
Speaking of eco-friendly, sustainable design, the folks at Cast Iron Design like to play their part in keeping the environment happy.
“We use notebooks on a regular basis and figure that a useful object would be the easiest way to help other graphic designers begin to integrate environmental responsibility into their practice,” says Cast Iron Design’s Jonathan Black.
“Specifying recycled paper is one of the easiest and most impactful things a graphic designer can do to minimise the carbon footprint of a print project, so that’s where we’re starting.”
09. Code&Quill
Code&Quill launched a Kickstarter campaign for these notebooks that have designers specifically in mind. The left-side pages have a dot grid to allow for sketches, drawings and wireframes; while the right-side pages showcase the brand’s special Indentation Rule – a narrow ruling with vertical dash-marks every 5 millimeters to allow notes, lists, paragraphs, and code to be properly indented and neatly kept.
The paper is thick and durable, ready for your ideas no matter where you may have them. The binding is sewn with quality thread, and constructed in a way so as to allow the notebooks to lie flat, no matter what page you’re on.
10. Whitelines
Swedish company Whitelines claims to offer a “new generation of writing paper” with its patented lined paper technology. The idea is that since markings from pens are dark, the dark lines of typical notebooks interfere with them. Whitelines’ paper is tinted in a light-grey tone and the lines are practically invisible, to help make your drawings stand out.
For those of you looking for a joined-up digital format, Whitelines has its own app named Whitelines Link (which actually predates the Evernote/Moleskine partnership). You take a photo of your notes or sketches, ensuring the app can see the four corners of the page, and tick the content you want stored digitally. The app then uploads your notes to your email, Dropbox or your Evernote account.
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