Our next issue of Paper Matters magazine will be released in the Fall. However, we wanted to give you a peek at a very creative brand that will be featured in the next edition. Our friends at Field Notes create and market memo books that fans are obsessive about collecting. In our Paper Matters Sneak Peek, we tell the story of Field Notes and how they aren’t afraid to break a few rules and maybe a few laws to make a seemingly traditional notebook anything but conventional.

Here’s a few sneak peek highlights:

Creative Collaboration with Founder Aaron Draplin

Field Notes is a collaboration between Draplin Design Company in Portland, Oregon and Coudal Partners in Chicago, Illinois. Draplin is an avid collector of pocket notebooks that that seed dealers and farm service companies used to give out to promote their business. Inspired by these books, Draplin called these books “Field Notes” and sent a sample to Jim Coudal of creative design firm, Coudal Partners and the brand was born.

The Seed of an Idea

The Field Notes team launches each series with a theme. It can range from the Mile Marker Series or the National Parks, and anything in between. Each series has a film that kicks off the series. In the case of the Mile Marker Series, the team used an electronic highway sign to announce the series. Customers are interested in the production and every detail involved with the crafting of each book and the promotion of the series. “Field Nuts” is the self-described term for the fans that wait in line for new editions and order new series online.

Field Notes Interview

Here are from Field Notes themselves as they walk you through their creative process and why they do what they do.