Star Wars Moleskine: Next in a Long Legacy of Sketch Books (Photo: Jason Cranford Teague
Moleskine recently sent me one of their Star Wars themed notebooks, of various sizes, and it’s perfect for the job. You can choose between the logo with a hyperspace star effect or the title crawl from A New Hope. As a bonus, in the rear pocket, you get a mini version of the original Brother Hildebrandt Star Wars poster.
I carry a sketch book with me everywhere I go. I’ve had dozens of sketch books over the years, filled with notes, sketches, book outlines, doodles, and anything else I couldn’t keep penned up in my brain. I’ve had large sketch books and small. I’ve had soft back, hard back, and even one with covers made from old circuit boards. I’ve kept them all, and flip back through them from time to time for inspiration.
For the last ten years, I’ve almost exclusively carried Moleskine notebooks to sketch in. I remember stumbling across a selection of them at an art supply store and fell in love.
I’ve had dozens of Moleskine notebooks over the last decade to take general meeting notes, picking them up for particular projects, or even getting smaller ones to devote to the notes from a particular conference, trip, or event. I may have 3 – 4 notebooks going at any time. I decorate them by putting stickers in them, taping business cards, post cards or anything else I want to hold onto. I love me some Moleskine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a 21st century digital boy with my MacBook Air, iPad, and iPhone, but I still love using pen and ink on paper when I’m trying to think visually.
Moleskines use acid free paper, so that the pages will not discolor over time; solid stitched construction; an integrated elastic band; a handy back pocket to stick business cards and other loose paper; and a beautifully simple design. There are a variety of sizes and styles, including lined, grid, and unlined pages, as well as planners and some great travel guides for cities like New York, Paris, and London to name a very few.
And now I have a special Moleskine to use for my GeekDad projects.
Moleskine sent me a large unlined notebook with the immortal Star Wars title crawl, and I’ve already started filling its pages with notes, ideas, and sketches of ideas for future articles. I know that when I pull this out at the next con I go to, I’ll get some looks of envy.
If Star Wars isn’t your thing (which I kind of doubt if you read GeekDad, but, whatever…) they also have a line of Pac-Man and Peanuts Moleskine daily and weekly planners to choose from.
Moleskine also sent me something new for them, a lap top slipcase. Although not as geeky as a Star Wars themed notebook, I want to mention it here. I appreciate simple streamlined design, especially in my computer cases. The Moleskine slipcase fits that to a T. I’ve been carrying my MacBook Air around in it for a week, and feel comfortable with it in or out of my larger bag. It’s a simple envelope style case with an elastic band to hold the cover from flapping. It’s made from smooth and soft, yet durable materials. I like it so much, I may just end up asking for the larger Reporter Bag version for Saturnalia.
