Collaborate!!

Our New Paper Tiger notebooks are made for us here in Edinburgh by Southfield Stationers. The Southfield factory is about eight miles from our shops in the city centre, so virtually on our doorstep!. Paper Tiger has worked with Derek at Southfield in the past on other print projects, so I was confident that Derek and his team would be able to literally deliver the notebook that I wanted for Paper Tiger. I also knew that Derek is always interested in developing new products for customers like me, and he was always available to answer my questions and encourage me to try different styles, papers and finishes.

The idea for our own notebooks has been around for a long, long time, and I have looked at many different options over the years. This specific project began a long time ago: it’s been discussed over the last few years, and serious correspondence finally began in 2019. I began my planning for 2020 last autumn, and I rebooted the process with Derek, agreeing in principle that we would do something together in 2020. I then got back in touch with Derek on (checks notes) 4th February 2020 to begin the discussions in earnest. Within a month, everything closed down, and the paper and print samples that Derek had supplied were set aside while I singlehandedly set about saving Paper Tiger during the lockdown. As soon as lockdown finished, and with my team back in the stores, we began on the design work and finding the paper and print finish that I wanted. I have got piles of paper, card, old notebooks, pages, photos and paraphernalia knocking about that I used for inspiration and ideas, and sadly, so has Derek! My colleague James worked up page drafts and cover artwork. Using that design work, knowledge and information, and with wise counsel from Derek on what was actually achievable, we then worked together through a pandemic impacted summer to bring this project to fruition.

About a six weeks ago, I visited Derek out in Dalkeith to see some samples and discuss the final edits. That was a great moment - seeing the a real Paper Tiger notebook, and actually feeling it in my hand was vindication for the time spent on the project. And it was nice to see Derek (behind his mask) and work through the fine detail in his factory.  We achieved more in an hour than we had in the previous month, demonstrating that Zoom, WhatsApp, emails and photos are no substitute for a face to face meeting where you can look at plans, materials and bounce ideas around in real time with real people and real products.

Now, we have our first Paper Tiger notebook range. It won’t be the last.

The notebook that I hope you will have in your hand soon is the result of a collaborative process that began with my Paper Tiger team. We all love stationery, and we all use stationery, so I was able to call upon a wide range of views and suggestions about what would work for us, and what the team would be able to sell to customers. Finding an enthusiastic maker who shares our love of paper and stationery, and understands what I wanted to achieve with this work, was critical to getting the right product on our shelves. I’m grateful to all the Paper Tiger team who commented and gave me feedback and tho Derek and the Southfield team for creating our first Paper Tiger Notebook. 

I love them and I hope you do too.