What did the job entail?

Arjowiggins carried out research to find out what designers want and require from an everyday working notepad. Studio Special then worked to design a product that both differentiated itself from an ordinary notepad but was also something that designers would get maximum use out of.

How was it produced?

170gsm CyclusOffset stock wrapped around 2400mic Eska board was used to produce the customisable notepad cover, the front of which was double debossed using a B1 platen. 140gsm Cocoon Preprint, 140gsm Graphed SectioCyclusOffset and 300gsm Divider CyclusOffset stocks were used for the text pages, which were printed using a five-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105, while 200gsm Cocoon Offset was used for the spine. The notepads were layflat bound by hand. 700 were produced in total, 175 each of four different colours.

Phil La Monde, managing director of Gavin Martin Colournet, which printed and bound the notepads, said: “Layflat bound books require a particular printing process; grain direction and calliper play a large part in being successful in binding a layflat job. Because CyclusOffset and Cocoon Preprint papers are also similar thickness, it made it possible for us to use different papers in the layflat book block.”

What challenges were overcome?

Studio Special designer David Lovelock said: “It can be challenging working with such specific requests and materials. We understood that it was critical we stuck to the minimal theme. There are lots of notepads that come in different sizes, providing dates and calendars for example, which is sometimes too much.”

What was the feedback?

Donald Soutar, a designer at Edinburgh-based creative agency Touch, said: “The new notepad is a designer’s dream, from the tough customisable cover to the tactile paper within. The variety of page styles has everything you need: plain pages for sketches, ruled for taking notes, small squares for designing logos and icons, and larger squares for working out pages or websites.”