Field Notes is a collaboration between Aaron Draplin and Coudal Partners. Draplin was kind enough to send out some Field Notes after I expressed interest in them. For those of you who don’t know who these people I speak of are, Aaron Draplin runs Draplin Design Co. out of Portalnd, Oregon with his trustworthy companion; Gary, a Dachshund. (Draplin is taking part in my collaborative visual book called a Grab Bag Book and here is an interview with him) And Coudal Partners is a small design firm out of Chicago, IL. Coudal Partners does some amazing projects other than design, which you can find at their website.

So as you can see from the picture, right on the front they say Field Notes in the typeface Futura. Unlike some other similar products that might have blank covers, Field Notes don’t and suprisingly it doesn’t really bother me. Oh, and did I mention the cover is pretty “durable” if I do say so myself.

Once you get inside you will find graph paper. This is my first time really using graph paper in a sketchbook or notebook, and I have to say I like it quite a lot. It makes it so I can write in any direction unlike lined paper, and it is great for jotting down design concepts or ideas. And yet, it provides some guidelines unlike plain paper that you find in my sketchbook.

While they do fit nicely in your pocket, I haven’t found myself carying them around that much. I suspect when school starts I will though. So far I have used them for a variety of things which I thought I would share with you. Eventually, I plan to photograph them all and upload them to Flickr but for now…

-Lists
-Design Ideas
-Project Ideas
-Random Thoughts
-Some Quick Sketches
-Blog Post Outlines
-and more.

You will also find some clever copy and written remarks on the inside of the back cover, along with the specification ranging from who printed them, the paper, the fonts, etc.

There is a certain feeling when I use the Field Notes or see them because I know the people behind them. Even better is the fact that they are made in the USA, which is really great cause so many things aren’t these days.

Check out the Field Notes website.
Hold tight, they aren’t up for purchase yet, but my advice would be to stay tuned.

Overall, I have truly enjoyed using the Field Notes.