The notebook as we know it today can be traced back to the 16th Century. Originally referred to as the “calepin”, derived from the name of the Italian religious scholar Ambrogio Celpino (1435 – 1511), who annotated a copy of a Latin Dictionary he had published in 1502 with notes and personal reflections of his travels and meetings. It’s format then developed into a small book for collecting notes and then into a personal notebook, more akin to the notebook we know today.
Today the notebook provides use far beyond a tool with which to simply collate notes. They are also frequently used for drawings and sketches, as travel journals, daily to do list, shopping lists and even ledgers.
The aesthetics and experiential feel of notebooks have also dramatically changed since the first notebook. Many are drawn to the multitude of notebook colours from bright neon, conservative-coloured notebooks through to pastel-coloured notebooks. The material from which a notebook cover is made also plays an influential role in the users experience and emotional attachment to their notebook. A plush Vegan Leather Notebook cover appeals to a broad segment of todays consumer market with the Vegan Leather market being valued in excess of £36.5bn annually.