Bring back paper: Rude Design at MOSI

Back at the beginning of the year, Jocelyn at The Reading Residence launched her blog tag Bring Back Paper.

I have to admit, I’ve watched it with interest, as fellow bloggers also cited their love of paper and stationery, reading and books.

Personally I’ve always been relatively practical when it comes to paper – I almost always have a notebook in my handbag for writing notes at an event, or dinner, or tasting and often have a sketchbook. I’m trying to encourage myself to draw more, though it’s not working very well at the moment.

Oh and I almost always have a purse full of receipts.

I can be boring about it. I’ll pick the notebook with the plastic cover, because it’ll stop my notes getting quite so smudged if I spill my drink and I don’t look at the cover, I just pick whatever’s to hand.

But when MOSI brought out their collaboration with Rude Design, I changed my mind.

Rude Design were given a straightforward brief, to create a design that capture Manchester, in all it’s uniqueness, it’s history from industrial hub to music scene.

And they did.

It’s gorgeous. Bright, colourful, and so perfectly northern. From tea towels, to mug, to cushion, I love them, but though I was offered any of them to review, it wasn’t the mug (to be honest, one more mug and I think Mr GFB will start breaking them just to create room in the cupboard), it was the notebook I coveted.

I’ve taken it everywhere. London….

Paris….

And back again.

I’ve scribbled recipe ideas in it, and plans for blog posts. I’ve doodled and drawn and written in the illegible scrawl my handwriting becomes after a drink or two – when I can barely make out squiggles, let alone words.

The outer is matt card and the inner is like an exercise book – really gorgeous quality paper to write on, it feels lovely. I love the reminders of our past – with facts about the first computer and the cotton mills, The Hacienda to the Happy Mondays.

And even when I’ve filled it’s thick paper pages with bits and pieces,  scribbles and scrawls, notes and reminders, it’s one of those that I’m going to keep, just because it looks good. I’ll be able to remove the cover and frame it, or leave it full and come back to it at some point in the future and remember.

Now to see if Santa fancies bringing me the tote bag…

This book was received for review from the Museum of Science and Industry.