A lot of us really, really love notebooks. Plumb is a company for our kind of people. Instead of plain or even just cute books with blank insides, Plumb is all about the design and features that constitutes a good notebook for creative people. Each season, Plumb selects and collaborates with three artists who conceptualize the notebooks that they feel are missing from the notebook world. We asked Plumb some questions to learn more about the company and their philosophies about what makes a good notebook.
What was the inspiration behind Plumb notebooks?
The neutral notebook has had its day. We wanted to provide a vibrant alternative: virtuoso notebooks designed by contemporary artists from the ground up. We wanted to banish the boring and make notebooks that not only look good but also are vibrant alternatives to the standard black notebooks already available to the masses.
What do people love most about Plumb notebooks?
Our fans love our unique and interesting designs, conceptualized by artists. Our pieces are crafted with different features and pops of colors that you wouldn’t normally find in a notebook. From a notebook with a cloth cover, waterfall tabs, and brightly colored end pages to a notebook with 32 pages of different color studies and exposed binding with red stitching, each of our 20 notebooks has its own personality. People really enjoy the individuality of each piece, its specific functional features, and what your notebook says about you.
What’s the Plumb blog all about?
ThePlumb blog is our editorial space, where we post our explorations of creativity in the real world. Creative director and Plumb artist Tucker Nichols curates “Open Notebook,” a series that peeks inside artists’ notebooks, sketchbooks, and creative processes. Tucker has interviewed many notable artists and writers, including Dave Eggers,Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket), and Will Oldham.
What’s #Artbreak, and how can I participate?
#Artbreak is a campaign to mobilize creativity. We love creative activities because they inspire our minds, hearts, and imaginations (plus, they’re fun). So we encourage everyone to take at least five short minutes a day for an #artbreak – a short time-out from your busy schedule to do something creative, from drawing to writing haikus. For every Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter post tagged with #artbreak, we’ll donate $1 to 826 National, the celebrated nonprofit that provides under-resourced students with inventive programs to allow them to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills.
What’s next for Plumb?
We’re very proud and excited for our upcoming spring 2015 release. We have nine new notebooks coming down the pipeline – more styles with tinges of cool. This latest season explores brighter colors, distinct textures, and newer formats, and we can’t wait for them to be in your hands.