ticking lots of boxes...
Given the breadth of stationery available, I need some kind of way of prioritising products! Of course, they have to have great paper - that's pretty much number one on my list. Size of notebook is also fairly important. Despite writing for a company that was born out of a pocket notebook site, I'm not a huge fan of pocket-size notebooks. For me, B6 (12.5 cm x 17.6 cm or ~5" x 7") is about as small as I want to go, with A5, B5 and A4 far more likely to find a way into my shopping basket than pocket-sized books.
Great paper? Tick
Big enough size? Tick
Perhaps not surprisingly, this doesn't necessarily narrow the field hugely, so what else do I look for?
Life is tough right now for everyone, so I do like to promote small British businesses making excellent products if I can.
I also tend to veer away from anything with plastic in it - whether that's a "vegan leather" cover (plastic), or plastic shrink-wrapping around the book, or any other plastic in the product. Of course, that means that the cover to any notebook needs to be robust, and preferably have rounded corners so that there is less chance of them getting bent if they are lobbed in my bag.
The desire to leave as small a mark on the environment goes further. I'd like environmentally-friendly inks and books that are recyclable (and, if possible, contain recycled material).
Enter the husband and wife team behind Wilder. notebooks.
After a holiday where they unplugged from the digital world and spent time journaling, they returned inspired to make excellent notebooks.
Nero stocks Wilder. notebooks in plain, lined and dot-grid, in both A5 and in pocket-size (9 cm x 14 cm). You can also get the pocket-size in a mixed pack with one of each interior. The notebooks definitely tick all the boxes. Beyond size and paper, they are plastic-free, use vegan-friendly inks, FSC accredited paper, and the books are recyclable.
The cover colours are largely muted and earthy, but in pocket-size there are also limited edition volumes with vibrant covers. The covers are made of sturdy card, with simple, unobtrusive branding, and rounded corners. There are 96 pages of paper, which is suitable for all kinds of pens or pencils.
Check out the range here:
dot-grid: A5; pocket (pack of 3)
plain; A5; pocket (pack of 3)
lined: A5; pocket (pack of 3)
