The Moleskine notebook is the new Mac.
There, I’ve said it. Chastise me if you will, point out that a notebook is analog, laugh at me for making such a ridiculous comparison… but you know it’s true: When all the other cool kids have a MacBook and an iPhone and the neat creative director-style glasses, what’s the next badge of cool? That’s right: The Moleskine.
A year ago, seldom did I see someone in my peer network pull a Moleskine notebook out of their messenger bag or briefcase. Not surprisingly, a year later, the Moleskine owners’ club looks pretty strong. Surprising? Not really. The product management team at Moleskine seems to have done everything right: They’re cool, they’re functional, they’re super well designed, they’re iconic, they look professional, and they have a story.
Exactly a year ago this week, I bought my first Moleskine since my days in the military. (The company was under different ownership back then.) Since then, my Moleskine has been my constant companion, my confident, my travel buddy, my easel, my sketch pad, my memory, and my idea generator. For the tremendous use I got out of it, my trusty Moleskine lasted exactly one year: I finally ran out of pages this week.
Buying a new Moleskine a few days ago was bittersweet: On the one hand, I am pretty excited to have a fresh new notebook in which to record a whole new year’s worth of ideas, thoughts, observations, notes, sketches, solutions and adventures. But I also know that I will miss my old Moleskine.
So… tell me…
One: Do you Moleskine?
Two: If you do, what’s in your Moleskine?
And um… Moleskine marketing peeps, yeah, feel free to drop me a note to say hi. You guys pretty much get a thumbs-up from me.
//
//
Brand Building and Online Marketing Blog 
They’re also very popular with white people. Only for one’s most original and creative ideas. 😉
first off…thank you for calling it a moleskinE….not a moleskin! 😉 Mine is a trusty companion as well. And since you asked, check mine out here. I just restarted my flickr, so snapped a few photos of my moleskine to get it started.
Yeah, they have been a staple around here for years and the company easily qualifies for a “You Don’t Need Us Award” from Brains on Fire.
No kidding. These guys definitely have this thing figured out.
Landing the placement by the cash registers at B&N was as brilliant as the design of the labels or the notebooks themselves.
BTW, I still carry around my Fire Sessions ’09 Moleskine. I use it specifically to record smart things people say around me. 🙂
I just finished part one of my article about “How I use my Molsekines”
http://inkyjournal.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-i-use-my-moleskines-part-1-of-2.html
I keep a pink Moleskine in my purse as I constantly require something around to write in. In it are sketches of your Tumblr design (haha!), sketches of Twitterface features, lists of issues with blogs of clients and friends, TweetReports user observations and other assorted lists (songs, beauty products I want, etc.) I have a tendency to think of something while driving in the car, and I grab my Moleskine and write it down or sketch a feature or site before I forget it.
It cannot replace my Macs however! It is the precursor to what I do on them. The Moleskine-Mac combo is how my work gets done… I can’t do without either. I guess creatives like Moleskine’s because there is a “quality” aspect to the tangible product, a certain finery. I like some of the neat products they make like the storyboard Moleskin and these city notebooks: http://www.moleskine.com/catalogue/city_notebook/europe/city_notebook_paris.php I also think it’s hysterical you can now print from your Moleskin, or move things into your iCal. It’s one of those brands where you become part of the “club” once you buy one, and you never go back to life without a Moleskine.
I am shocked you had a Moleskine last a year, as much as you seem to like to write! That’s a long time. 🙂
I love my Moleskine! Had it for a year or so now, random ideas and notes within. Definitely a cool piece to have in your messenger bag.
Now, I ask you, what pen do you use with it? 😉 Yes, I”m a stationary nerd…
Whatever pen or pencil happens to be my favorite at the time. I haven’t found one that I can really call my own yet.
I really like #2 pencils through. Super sharp. Like… deadly sharp. Especially when they start getting very short. I just love the way a sharp pencil’s tracks look on a page.
I am currently hacking my pocket moleskine to be a blog binder where I can jot down blog topics idea, design ideas, etc.
I keep a mini Moleskine in my pocket for grocery lists, songs I just heard that I need to download and books to buy. It’s also helpful at the hardware store when I need to buy a new filter for my furnace and forget the exact size so I open up the mini Moleskine.
I use the Moleskine squared notebook (I like the grid) for notes from meetings and for sketches.
I started using a Moleskine diary for the first time this year after having used beautiful Smythson diaries for the last 8. I fancied a change…and I am definitely converted.
I love it. I love the paper, the floppiness of the book, the size, the elastic band to keep everything safe inside, the way my Lamy fountain glides across the page, the font too, but most of all because I feel like I am in a secret club for owning a Moleskine.
Okay … after reading this, and the comments, I just searched online to purchase my frist moleskine. I’ve used other journals in the past to keep my ideas, marketing brainstorms, drawings, etc…
Now the question: What kind of moleskine do I get? The Hardcover or Softcover? The square, lined, or blank? Also, the size: the regular seems very small. I like the one closest to a regular 8.5 x 11 paper size. Any suggestions out there?
Cannot wait to get hooked.
Staci,
I would definitely go hardcover, they hold up better and are easier to write in. I prefer the square grids, but that’s all up to you.
I’ve been using them for about 3 years and love em. Hope you enjoy it.
Lordy, I need to confess. I have never gotten the Moleskine thing. *please don’t hurt me.* Believe me, I am equally at home at the digital and analog worlds, LOVE pretty notebooks and sketchpads, think visually and diagrammatically and all that good stuff — and don’t you dare come between me and my Sharpies — but for what they cost, I’ve never been able to rationalize Moleskines. There is also the alarming proximity of the word MOLESKINE to MOLESKIN and okay, jeezus, I’ll admit it…I don’t know how to pronounce it. OK?!
I’ve never had a notebook last that long. It has a lot more pages than it seems. 😀 so… value-wise, I could have bough 2-3 $7 notebooks throughout the year, but just one $14 Moleskine did the job.
And I really dig the elastic and the inside pocket. They’re both very handy. 🙂
I use only Moleskine for sketching–it’s the only sketchbook that is small enough to slip in every bag I own (or a pocket) yet doesn’t fall apart. In fact, I find that I simply CAN’T tear pages from it–I’ve tried!
My Moleskines are filled with drawings, usually in Prismacolor pencils–I use the pencils more like paints, and that kind of heavy-duty coloring has destroyed many a lesser notebook. But even my year-old completely full Moleskine sketchbook looks almost new–it’s just that tough.
I love Moleskines because they’re not trying to be something they’re not. The makers know that they are making notebooks, and everything in a Moleskine contributes to that end. They keep it simple.
There’s nothing like actually writing down words, ideas, pictograms, etc.
Have you seen MyMoleskine on the Moleskine website? http://bit.ly/a1kyg
my favorite is probably the inside pocket. What about a flat moleskine pen/pencil that would fit in the back pocket. What do you think?
I don’t own one. What I do own is a series of notebooks scattered all over the place containing half notes and sketches.
Your post has intrigued me to buy a Moleskin.
I carry my Moleskine everywhere with me. I use it for client meeting notes, conference notes, sketches, etc. Ideas, thoughts… you name it. That’s what I use it for.
You name it and that’s what is in it. I love my Moleskine. Does it replace my Macbook Pro. Nah, but along with my MBP and iPhone, my Moleskine is also a requirement.
I’ve tried many different types of sketchbooks, but this is the only one by far that I cannot live without.
Always have one around. Medium size for conference note-taking, small size for “what do I have in my purse that I can write on?” 🙂
My Moleskine keeps sketches, ideas, notes. Wouldn’t be without my Moleskine and a pencil.
I use a small, graph paper-lined soft-cover (stay’s open better) Moleskine for taking daily notes. Each day gets a page. Righthand page takes my notes, lefthand (back) is where I track my billable hours. If I don’t take a any notes on a particular day, I still write the date in the top right corner and start a new page the next day.
Been using this system for years. I started with a Mead composition book, but they would always fall apart. Moleskins are pretty durable—except when I threw mine against a wall about a month ago in a fit of rage…another story for another time.
Oh, and in the back pocket I store business cards.
Fantastic. I love discovering people’s systems. I have one too, although not quite as organized as yours yet. My date/time/location format is pretty specific too. I like the billable hours part. I might have to borrow that from you. 🙂
I’ve been tempted to throw my moleskine at objects and people on a number of occasions but haven’t yet taken myself up on it. 😀
Molskine weekly calendar- great travel companion for itineraries & observations. End product = the bread crumbs of your adventure.
(Would respond on twitter- but it’s down 😦 )
http://www.twitter.com/Cardstyle
Words. That’s what’s in my Moleksine, lots and lots of words, though occasionally a sketch will sneak in. I use it exclusively as a personal journal. I do all my regular work on my Mac so I find taking time each morning after my cup of tea to write my thoughts down is a welcome change of pace. My Moleskine and my Sailor 1911 EF fountain pen go with me where ever I go.
I have a series of Moleskines. For me they’re addictive because they’re reliable. I know I can get another one that will be the same when this one is done. But I keep one for my web class, one for house hunting, one for my purse for jotting down random stuff, one is the DC city edition, and there’s a blank one for whatever project comes up next!
I love my Moleskine and have been hooked ever since a friend of mine gave me one nearly 3 three years ago.
I keep two different Moleskines. One is a pocket one that I like to keep in my back pocket. That way if an idea pops up in my head at an inconvenient moment (like they sometimes do) I can just reach in my back pocket and scribble it down. I typically write something in it on a daily basis.
I also have a larger one that I keep at home or I take with me when I go out somewhere to write. I scribble anything in it. Ideas, future blog posts, quotes, etc.
I ❤ my Moleskine! I have used them to take notes in class, and am more likely to reread notes in my moleskine than in an ordinary notebook.
As far as hardcover or softcover I've used both, and enjoy the soft for everyday/on-the-go use and the hard for journaling. I prefer the graph-like one over the blank or normal lined one.
I have had a notebook/journal fetish since I was 12, but there is nothing in the world like a Moleskine. There is one that never leaves my suitcase, that records travel experiences and whatever stray ideas need to be written down immediately. Then there’s a smaller one in my bag for everyday reminders and bits of inspiration.
How do you all feel about the soft cover ones? I can’t say I’m a huge fan and prefer the sturdiness of the original hardcover Moleskines. And make mine black 🙂
I’ve been using the Franklin Planner for years, and I bought my moleskine a few weeks ago – I’m currently using 4 different moleskines depending on the usage; A scheduler, an idea notebook, a journal, and a study notebook. I just LOVE them. They are all you said above! Simple, professional, neat, have a story, and well-designed –
Though I like the original lined notebook the best, Im also fond of the cahier notebook and the scheduler. 😉
I think I fell in love with them haha
This is what’s in mine: http://joitheartist.deviantart.com/gallery/#Sketchbook
I draw to help me think, and end up filling pages pretty quickly. Only Moleskine for me!
I came across Moleskin in the book ‘Personality Not Included’-It seems there are a number of Moleskin Fanatics out there -One of them Armand Frasco started a blog (later purchased by Moleskin) to bring the tribe together. He also has a blog on Notebookism ! Links below…. Oh…..I should tell you that my Moleskin is bright read and i also use them as surprise gifts for customers to extend the experience of working with our company. I love what Bhargava said about the moleskin in his book. “When you have one, you feel the latent desire to do something great with it.”
http://www.moleskinerie.com/
http://notebookism.net/about-us/
I’m on my third blank moleskine for keeping track of STUFF and I’m constantly annoyed that I’m not using it even more effectively. I could use other journals, sure, but I like the sturdiness and plainness of the moleskine. I tried to draw in it, but gave up and now it’s all words, with size, print, and script used for emphasis changes.
Although I was given a Moleskin for Christmas two years ago, I didn’t start using it till last summer. Then I used it to plan the nursery for my son, and after he was born we recorded feedings and diaper changes in it, but stopped doing that after I went back to work.
I don’t know that I’d purchase and use a Moleskin, actually. They seem like excellent products, but don’t seem to have much in the way of personality. Because I spend so much time at work, I want my notebooks to have personality and be fun – so I use hardcover, spiral-bound notebooks from places like Target. Pretty much anything with fun colors and patterns, designs on the pages. As long as each one makes me feel good, then it’ll be a joy to use.
I do, however, try to color-coordinate them to the logos of my various clients. My personal choices vary depending on my mood. And I always write in pencil.
Fair enough. I also really like Rhodia pads and the Clairefontaine notebooks you can buy in France, so I can completely relate. 🙂
everything I need to jot down is in there…. things to do later on, ideas, shopping lists…. the small one I take almost everywhere, the larger one is for travels mostly. (although I do transcribe all my travel journals into electronic format eventually – recent trip to philadelphia, I was writing my journal on a park bench near washington square).
Early newton geek… using PDAs before people knew what they even were…. 15 years ago…. then apple left us high and dry, S. Jobs canned the newton and killed support for the product (so I will never buy another apple product… ever – sorry apple fans, not even an iphone).
Then, I got hooked back on analog! give me a moleskine, a DECENT pen, and a pocketmod – and I’m set! (the one good thing apple has done for me – converted me to the moleskine!)
I prefer the ruled notebooks – not the squares or the blank.
Hardcover over soft
Small and large sizes (not the mini or the extra large ones available).
Oh…the moleskine. my brother warned me that these would be popular about a year ago. he’s always ahead of the curve.
i’m partial to the three-pack mini moleskine, myself.
they are thin and have a kraft cover with a small pocket on the inside. they fit in almost any size bag, pocket or tradeshow badge holder and i use them for jotting notes, numbers or ideas that come to me.
just yesterday, one was whipped out to keep my 4 year old quiet while at a drs appt. who knows what the next use will be!
After years of collecting hundreds of notebooks and then going through about a dozen moleskines as my exclusive daily journals over the last few years, I’m now using a non-Moleskine notebook of a similar format for the first time. It’s very similar, and was cheaper, but after a few days I’m kind of itching to go back to a Moleskine! Fortunately I have several unused ones ready to go!
I launched my second part of my article on How I Use My Moleskines: http://inkyjournal.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-i-use-my-moleskines-part-2-of-2.html
How are Moleskine notebooks different from any other notebook? What specific qualities make them so attractive?
I agree with Stephanie…especially the 3 pack in the hot pink! ❤ it!
While I do not specifically use a Moleskin, I am (and have always been) a huge advocate for journals, sketch pads — whatever you want to call them. They are a wonderfully tactile way to capture a variety of thoughts, ideas, and creative knick-knacks. I have a bookshelf of my journals from years past. In them you’ll find sketches, doodles, songs, poetry, ramblings, stickers, business cards, tag-lines, business ideas, and more. I have found them to be an incredible resource for inspiration as well as training. For instance, I have used them on numerous occasions to show younger designers how quickly I came up with multiple ideas and iterations without touching the computer. I have blogged about this very thing on several occasions. It is so much easier for me to capture all kinds of ideas quickly in a journal/sketchpad than electronically. You can always digitize later. Olivier, glad to see you are using one as well. Have fun! -eb
Moleskines are expensive. And on my first trip to Singapore I discovered something which are not the same – but pretty much close to the real thing. MonoLouges.
Check my collection here – http://kapilb.com/blog/2008/05/24/monologue-collection/
And usually it has my notes from events/seminars/talk shows and lovely quotes I come across in magazines, movies or just about anywhere around me.
And there is one dedicated as a Travel Diary. I’ve got about 5 trips recorded in there … love going back and reading those moments again.
Congratulations on your new Moleskine!
I do illustrative journaling on mine.
Hey. I really like the blog. I submitted it to reddit and digg because i think more people need to read it! Also, I have a blog too if you want to check it out. It’s called Zygor Leveling and it teaches World of Warcraft players how to level up to max level in 6 days. If you want you can check it out! Thanks again!
Ich moechte ihnen ein geschaeftliches Angebot bezueglich ihrer Webseite machen, schreiben Sie mir bitte eine Email, falls Sie interessiert sind.
Hello there, I veryrecently located your website and would like to talk to you about a potential business venture that would be of great benefit to you. Please email me
at the given email address.
Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know about the site that scans/digitizes Moleskine notebooks. Please have a look at http://www.scan4me.com
Cheers,
AK
I’ve just been given a soft cover ruled pocket one. Will probably end up using it for generating ideas for a couple of blogs as well as jot down random ideas, observations and as a way to let off a little steam…Been using a variety of notebooks but have to say the Moleskine is the one book I’m actually ‘scared’ of ruining! (Hence why I never bought one before lol)