The search for Utilitarian Luxe® notebooks and office supplies used to lead straight to Japan and Korea, where, armed with Google Translate, one could hunt down a gorgeous minimalist notebook, but good luck finding your quarry in the US! Designer Suann Song took note of this gap in the market, and taking matters into her own hands, launched Appointed this spring via a wildly-successful Kickstarter campaign.
Appointed is proudly hand-crafted in the USA from high-quality paper stock + materials, using an understated, neutral-but-elegant color palette. Suann assiduously prototyped the line and sent samples around for feedback from aesthetically-minded friends. The result is a gorgeously luxe (yet undeniably practical) collection that debuted to rave reviews. Now that delivery to Kickstarter investors is complete, the Appointed webshop is open and stocked with the introductory range of notebooks, notepads, desk supplies, and gifts. (For the ultimate luxe accent, notebooks can be customized with a foil-stamped monogram for an additional fee.)
My Kickstarter donation netted me some notebooks (7.5″ x 9.5″), workbooks (6.5″ x 8.5″), a ‘to-do list’ notepad, and some sticky notes, but what I am eagerly awaiting is Appointed’s take on the perfect planner. I have a feeling I’m going to need one to keep track of 2016: it’s going to be a busy year.
Appointed is set to launch to wholesalers at NY Now in August.
signature notebook | charcoal
workbook in canvas white (+ appointed business card)
‘to do’ pad
adhesive note set: lined + grid
image at top from appointed.com; all other photos by jane potrykus
2 Comments
I backed the Kickstarter campaign too. I liked the workbooks and notebooks. The To Do pad was OK – looks like a pretty regular note pad to me. Are your sticky notes anything special? I thought the price point in the webshop for the goods was a little high. The nice thing about stationery goods from Asia is they don’t have to be expensive to be of good quality. I am not quite sure what I am going to use my $36 notebook (retail price, with monogram) for. Hopefully something very special. I also had a couple monogrammed for gifts but am not sure that the people receiving them will realize their value. Thus I am not sure I will buy more because of the price point. But am happy to see that this project was successful.
“Alia”, I do like the sticky notes — and at $8, they seem to come in at what I’d expect to pay. Also, though it seems obvious, it’s not that easy to find simple lined and gridded sticky notes. Most designers tweak it a bit and then the product loses that simple/minimalist appeal that I crave. The Appointed notebooks, while not cheap, are certainly at a pricepoint which compares to Moleskine and Postalco (I’ve long-admired Postalco’s refined style.) I will admit that after two years of living in London, where the same type of “everyday” greeting card I’d buy in the States costs $10 (cards regularly retail for £5.95 here), my sensitivity to price is at an all-time low, and I have a weakness for well-designed paper goods.
That said, I am happy with my Kickstarter goodies and cannot wait to see the planner: it’s definitely a category where the splurge is worth it.