richard holloway: tricky notebooks

the first collection of nine pocket notebook designs made in the usa by award winning pioneers in green printing using up to the minute certified production technology and materials

I have been asked many times how I come up with my best ideas. how something comes out of my brain, down my arm and out the end of a pencil onto a piece of paper is still a mystery to me. I just know that when I take the time and make the space for it, creativity happens. my experience does tell me that ‘breakthrough’ moments can happen at any time, in fact, they are happening all the time. we are all conduits for ideas but the challenge is to capture these creative moments and to this end I have always handmade my own note books and over the years I have filled thousands of them.

over 20 years ago rushing to an important meeting I needed a notebook pronto.   

improvising, I taped two bills together, folded a dozen or so sheets of blank paper in half and stapled them together. the very first tricky notebook was created. not only was it a great little notebook, it turned out to be a fun conversation piece that brought a smile to everyone’s face. with endless concepts in mind tricky is looking forward to developing a vast array of themes and styles.

now, I have a smart phone and an iPad which I just love, great tools, but I always come back to my notebooks. there is something extraordinary about giving an idea the time and space it needs to develop. this is the feeling that I would like to share with you and this is why I have created the first collection of trickynotebooks.

we are building on a long history of artists, writers, thinkers and composers recording their thoughts, dreams and schemes in sketch and notebooks. but we are not looking backwards – we are taking the notebook proudly into the future. trickynotebooks are 100% made in america. we have gone to considerable lengths to find the right u.s. production source and I am thrilled to announce that we have found a first class manufacturer that can print, bind, and die cut to our specifications, they are award winning pioneers in green printing, strictly adhering to the guidelines and protocol of the FSC (forest stewardship council), SFI (sustainable forestry initiative).

trickynotebooks are highly collectible limited edition works of art. a limited number of each design will be individually packaged and sealed in a clear protective sleeve with a colourful presentation card to protect the product along with a certificate of authenticity that will be numbered and signed by me, the creator and designer of original tricky notebooks. certified limited editions will be available through ‘select retailers’ and our website, trickynotebooks.com

every print run of each design will vary in some small detail.

if you own one of these and sign into tricky’s ‘collector’s boutique’ you will enjoy special offers and privileges.

tricky is working locally with a leading vocational rehabilitation and training centre for people with mental and/or physical disabilities for all our packaging. packaging for retail and e-commerce vary.

for retail the notebooks are individually packaged in a clear bag with a header card. a point of purchase display is available. the ecom product is packaged in a semi transparent silver bag with tricky labels.

tricky notebooks are now available for everyone to enjoy, they have ‘fun’ written all over them. 

a promise from tricky

we promise tricky will always make you look great. we promise that we will strive to do the right thing, that our products will create a big impact but never at the expense of our environment. and we promise to say please and thank you. 

pick up this tab and it will serve you well, sharpen your pencil and document your ideas in tricky’s hot ‘red guest check’ tricky say’s "looking for a hot tip? see the small change on the outside and look for the big change within" 

tricky’s trompe l’oeil rendering of a ‘tricky bank roll’ takes green printing to a new level. put your two cents in watch your ideas grow. tricky say’s, "good ideas are like money in the bank"

‘we are happy to serve you’ the original tricky notebook homage to leslie buck’s 10 oz. take out cup ‘we are happy to  serve you’ has no limits in it’s capacity to hold big ideas and will take more than a new york minute to fill

sheriff of wall street’ it’s official, we need a new ‘sheriff of wall street’. in fact we need to recruit 99% of the people to keep a closer eye on what is going on tricky say’s ”occupy these pages with your revolutionary thoughts and ideas"

‘cup of english’ you are sure to create a stir when you pour your ideas into tricky’s ‘cup of english’ and let them brew tricky say’s, ”one ‘cup of english’ is seldom sufficient”

‘black purse’ open up your ‘black purse’ and search for your best ideas, make-up new ones every day and  celebrate the beauty of your ideas.   tricky say’s, ”don’t miss out on the fun, it is time to celebrate your ideas”

‘love letters’  your tender words upon these pages, such love as yours should last for ages. if your heart goes another place, it’s just as easy to erase. open you heart; this notebook is yours truly.

‘zig zag zippo’ Ignite your imagination, explore your thoughts and ideas in depth, let them roll freely off the tip of your pen onto the leaves within tricky’s ‘zig zag zippo’ tricky say’s, "fill these pages with the good stuff’

‘pink bubblegum’ ideas, like bubbles, start out small and get bigger. chew your ideas over and watch them grow in your super-size classic ‘pink bubblegum’ pocket notebook. tricky say’s, ”blow your own mind”

for retail the notebooks are individually packaged in a clear bag with a header card. a point of purchase display is available (not shown) ecom product is packaged in a semi transparent silver bag with trickys labels front and back

12 each design presents a unique opportunity to render a new interpretation of tricky’s pop inspired logo. he ‘red guest check’ creates the illusion of tricky’s logo being injection moulded into the back of the faux tray.

http://trickynotebooks.com/

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here