Field Notes (brand)

Field Notes

Industry	Stationery, Office Supplies, Collectable
Founded	2007
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Aaron Draplin (Co-founder),[1] Jim Coudal (Co-founder)[2]
Products	Memo books, planners, stenos, pens, pencils and accessories
Website	fieldnotesbrand.com

Field Notes (stylized as FIELD NOTES) is an American notebook brand headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, that designs, prints and manufactures memo books and related accessories.^[3] Founded in 2007, the Field Notes brand is a joint venture between Portland, Oregon-based Draplin Design Company and Chicago-based design firm Coudal Partners.^[4][5][6]

Field Notes notebooks come with ruled, graph, or plain pages in their signature "kraft" brown color,^[7] but the brand has become known for their smaller runs of limited edition notebooks,^[8] which are released quarterly and available individually or as part of their year long subscription service.^[9][10] The limited edition releases have gained a devoted fan following, including an active Facebook group called "Field Nuts",^[11] and a website by the same name.^[12]

Field Notes are sold online and, across 1400 retail locations in the United States. The brand has also partnered with various companies including Levi's, Starbucks, Nixon, Loot Crate and J.Crew to sell exclusive release products, as well as collaborating with MythBusters' Adam Savage and reporter John Dickerson to create special editions.^[13][14] Field Notes promotes its products through films made by Coudal Partners in-house.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Limited Releases

FNC-1 Butcher Orange

Butcher Orange^[19] was the first limited edition released. The edition was released in Winter 2008 before the company had a defined quarterly release plan. Butcher Orange had a print run of 500 packs. It was named after the cover paper, which featured a mottled, waxy appearance similar to wax "butcher paper".

FNC-2 Butcher Extra Blue

Similar to Butcher Orange, Butcher Extra Blue^[20] was released before the company had a plan for a quarterly release schedule. The edition was released in Spring 2009, and had a print run of 500 packs. It is said to be the hardest to find of the limited editions.^[20]

FNC-3 Grass Stain Green

As the limited edition releases were selling out in pre-order, the company pursued higher print runs. Grass Stain Green^[21] had an edition size of 1,650 packs (over 3 times that of past releases). Grass Stain Green was released for the Summer 2009 quarter. It features a thick cover stock, which was embossed with letterpress printing instead of offset printing as on past editions.

FNC-4 Mackinaw Autumn

Mackinaw Autumn^[22] was the limited edition release for the Fall 2009 quarter, and had a print run of 2,500 packs. This was the first edition to feature packs consisting of different colors (instead of a pack containing three identical books, as with former releases). Each pack contained one "Burnt Red", one "Running-Board Brown", and one "Harvest Moon Orange" notebook, inspired by the color of Fall leaves.^[22]

FNC-5 Just Below Zero

Just Below Zero^[23] was the limited edition release for the Winter 2009 quarter, and had a print run of 3,000 packs. Each pack contained one “Steel Grey," one “Sno-Cone,” and one “Steel Blue” notebook. The covers featured a metallic ink, and each book had a blue tinted graph inside.

FNC-6 Packet of Sunshine

Packet of Sunshine,^[24] the Spring 2010 quarterly edition, had a print run of 4,000 packs, and changed up the standard releases in several ways. Instead of being shipped in shrink wrapped three packs, the release was shipped in a larger, custom printed "kraft paper" envelope inspired by seed packets. All three notebooks were the same yellow color, but each featured different colors (red, orange, and green) for the printed logo. Each envelope also came with a pack of Marigold seeds in honor of the Spring planting season.

FNC-7 County Fair

County Fair,^[25] the Summer 2010 quarterly edition, has no stated print run. Packs were made for every state in the U.S., each containing a red, blue, and yellow notebook. Each state's books were different, with the state's name printed on the cover, and information about the state printed on the back of the book. This edition became part of the standard release options available from Field Notes, and has been reprinted as needed. A 51st set was released in 2016 for the District of Columbia.

FNC-8 Raven's Wing

Raven's Wing,^[26] the Fall 2010 quarterly release, had a print run of 5,000 books. The books featured a solid black, letterpress cover. The "belly band" around each pack featured the same "butcher orange" paper featured on the original "Butcher Orange" limited release. Though minimalist in design compared to several of the prior releases, the set has become highly sought after and a favorite among many collectors.

FNC-9 Balsam Fir

Balsam Fir,^[27] the Winter 2010 quarterly release had a stated print run of 3,500 packs. Balsam Fir featured an olive colored cover stock, with a silver "hot foil stamped" logo. The edition was divided into two parts, distinguished by "belly band" in which they came wrapped. The "subscriber" version came with a band with red type, while the "retail" version (sometimes called "Kraft Green" by collectors) came with black type.^[28] The differentiation between the two, and any change in second-hand value, has been a source of great discussion and confusion among collectors.

FNC-10 Dry Transfer

Dry Transfer,^[29] the Spring 2010 quarterly release, had a print run of 5,000 packs. The edition featured a cover noticeably lacking the "FIELD NOTES" logo. Each pack came with a set of three books, and a dry transfer decal sheet, allowing the customer to create their own cover logo or design. Other than the lack of a logo, the books were identical to the standard kraft brown memo books the company started with making.

FNC-11 American Tradesman

American Tradesman,^[30] the Summer 2010 quarterly release, had a print run of 5,000 packs. The edition, honoring tradesman in various trades, featured a blue cover with a "vertical linear finish", which has raised bars spaced throughout the cover.^[30] For subscribers to the subscription service, the packs also came with a Field Notes branded carpenter pencil.

FNC-12 Fire Spotter

Fire Spotter,^[31] the Fall 2011 quarterly release, had a print run of 4,000 packs. The edition, honoring forestry and fire lookout towers, featured a red, letterpressed cover, including an letterpressed "Fire Spotter Edition" emblem on the back of the notebook.^[31] This is the first limited edition to use a ruling other than standard graph, opting instead for a "dot-graph pattern".^[31] Packs also included a "Fire Spotter" temporary tattoo. Fire Spotter also lead to the creation of "Red Blooded", a regularly available edition released in early 2012.^[32] The major differences between "Fire Spotter" and "Red Blooded" were ruling (Fire Spotter featuring dot graph, and Red Blooded featuring standard graph), and the lack of the "Fire Spotter" logo on the back of the Red Blooded edition books.^[32]

FNC-13 Northerly

Northerly,^[33] the Winter 2011 quarterly release, had a print run of 6,000 packs. The edition featured the first coated cover, a high gloss white with an embossed silver Field Notes logo.^[33] It featured a reverse graph ruling, with white lines against a printed blue-gray background.^[33]

FNC-14 National Crop

National Crop,^[34] the Spring 2011 quarterly release, had a print run of 7,500 boxes. Unlike previous editions, which were released as sets of three, National Crop was released in a custom made box containing six notebooks. Each of the books was devoted to one of America's top six crops: corn, soybean, hay, wheat, cotton and sorghum.^[34] Each box also contained a patch and a poster showing the American growing regions for each of the six crops.^[35]

FNC-15 Day Game

Day Game,^[36] the Summer 2012 quarterly release, had a print run of 6,000 packs. The edition was designed around a baseball theme. Each pack contained a green, white, and brown book. Subscribers to the quarterly subscription also received the book "A Drive into the Gap" by author Kevin Guilfoile.^[36] The book, the first under the "Field Notes Brand Books" label, was also available for purchase separately.^[37] The books also featured the return to a dot graph ruling, previously seen in the Fall 2011 Fire Spotter edition.

FNC-16 Traveling Salesman

Traveling Salesman,^[38] the Fall 2012 quarterly release, had a print run of 8,000 packs. The edition, honoring the travelling salesman, features brown cover stock with gold embossed logo. It features ledger ruling, a first for Field Notes quarterly releases. Subscribers to the quarterly subscription received one of five available "Authorized Representative" buttons based on their location. Available buttons were Western Region, Midwestern Region, Southern Region, Eastern Region, and International Region.^[39]

FNC-17 Expedition

Expedition,^[40] the Winter 2012 quarterly release, had an initial print run of 20,000 packs. The edition is made out of waterproof and tear resistant Yupo brand paper.^[41] Expedition was made to be used in extreme conditions, and was used by Ben Saunders on his October 2013-February 2014 "Scott Expedition" to the South Pole.^[40] The cover of Expedition is orange on the front, and black on the back,^[42] with a topographic map of Antarctica laid into the finish.^[43] This edition went on to be added as regular edition to the Field Notes lineup and has been reprinted.

FNC-18 America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful,^[44] the Spring 2013 quarterly release, had a print run of 15,000 packs. This edition was the first Field Notes release to feature a graphic cover. The covers of each book were made of photographs printed slightly out of correct registration to create a vintage aesthetic.^[45] In each pack, one book has a mountain range, one has a wheat field, and one has a desert landscape. Each pack also contained a water slide decal commemorating the edition.^[45] The edition also featured line ruled paper, a first aside from the ledger ruling of the Fall 2012 Traveling Salesman edition.

FNC-19 Night Sky

Night Sky,^[46] the Summer 2013 quarterly release, had a print run of 15,000 packs. This edition featured a black cover, with foil stamping on the back of the cover. Each of the three books in a pack features a different view of the constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere at around midnight. One book features the view in early Summer, one in mid-Summer, and one in late Summer.^[46] This edition also featured a new ruling option for quarterly releases in "reticle-graph", similar to "dot-graph", but featuring a "+" shaped design as opposed to a simple dot.^[47] Night Sky also spawned a regular edition, Pitch Black,^[48] which replaced the Red Blooded edition in the standard release line. Pitch Black differed from Night Sky in ruling (featuring dot-graph as opposed to reitcle-graph) and in eliminating the foil constellation stamping on the back cover.^[49]

FNC-20 Drink Local

Drink Local,^[50] the Fall 2013 quarterly release, changed up the standard limited release system by releasing two different and separate three packs. One pack was devoted to "Ale" style beer, and one devoted to "Lager" style beer. Each pack had a print run of 10,000 packs, and was also packaged with a letterpress coaster matching the "Ale" or "Lager" theme.^[50] Each book was devoted to separate form of either Ale or Lager. The Ale pack contained a dark brown Stout book, a red Amber ale book, and an orange India pale ale book.^[50] The Lager pack contained a gold Pilsner book, a brown Bock book, and a yellow Pale lager book.^[50] Each book had a brief history of and information on its respective type of beer on the back cover. Those in the subscription service also received a holder designed to carry all six books with a handle, similar to beer cardboard six packs.^[51]

FNC-21 Cold Horizon

Cold Horizon,^[52] the Winter 2013 quarterly release, had a print run of 20,000 packs. The edition features a UV-coated gradient blue cover, with each book in a pack having a slightly different gradient, and a different internal paper hue.^[53]

FNC-22 Shelterwood

Shelterwood,^[54] the Spring 2014 quarterly release, had a print run of 25,000 packs. The Shelterwood edition features a cover made of a thin veneer of cherry wood bonded to a kraft paper backing.^[55] The company has stated they believe they are the first company to make this size of a print run of notebooks using this process.^[54] The edition features lined pages, and a white screen printed logo.^[55] This edition also inspired a standard run of notebooks added to the regularly available line of products called Cherry Graph.^[56] The main differences between the Shelterwood and Cherry Graph editions are paper ruling (lined for Shelterwood, graph for Cherry Graph), internal paper density (50# for Cherry graph versus the heavier 70# for Shelterwood), and logo color (white for Shelterwood, black for Cherry Graph).^[57]

FNC-23 Arts and Sciences

Arts and Sciences,^[58] the Summer 2014 edition, had print run of 25,000 packs. The Arts and Sciences edition featured a 2 pack of 4 3/4 inch by 7 1/2 inch notebooks, breaking from the standard 3 pack of 3 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch notebooks of all past editions.^[59] The edition also had 64 pages per book, as opposed to the standard 48.^[60] The Arts book featured line ruled pages on the right side, and blank pages on the left, while the Sciences book featured an "engineer's graph" on the right, and blank pages on the left.^[61] For those in the subscription program, the edition also came with a set of two buttons, matching the Arts and Sciences theme.^[62]

FNC-24 Unexposed

Unexposed,^[63] the Fall 2014 edition, had a print run of 20,000 packs. Unexposed edition came sealed in a black paper sleeve to hide the contents inside.^[64] Hidden inside each pack were notebooks in 3 of the 6 available bright, neon colors. The available colors were green, orange, pink, yellow, purple and blue.^[65]

FNC-25 Ambition

Ambition,^[66] the Winter 2014 edition, had a print run of 30,000 packs. The Ambition edition featured gold gilded edges, a first for the brand.^[66] Each book was designed for a different function: one ledger, one weekly datebook, and one titled graph notebook.^[10]

References