AUTUMN//WINTER 2017 43 STATIONERY users tend to fall into two distinct camps: those who just want a notebook to write in with a pen that works, and users who really care about what their stationery looks like and want it to reflect who they are. This article is absolutely not about the first type! When I was at school we personalised our stationery with names of sporting idols and pop bands with stylised writing like graffiti, doodles, flowers and geometric patterns. From notebooks to geometry sets, pencil cases to wooden pencil boxes, satchels to backpacks, nothing escaped our attention. Fast forward to 2017 and it is all the rage again. But this time with adults. Maybe we have always wanted to do this, and now we have ‘permission’ because it is back in fashion. And this time round, manufacturers supply the kit to help us indulge our creativity, be that sticky pictures, numbers or letters, or pens that will write on any surface. And this is not about appealing to children. These products are very much aimed at those who want to customise a product to their exact requirements. The stationery, card and craft markets are much more closely linked these days than 20 years ago, and they influence each other a lot. In the early 2000s scrapbooking was a significant trend in the craft market. The trend came over from America and revolved around personalising pages of albums in ways that linked to the pictures being kept. The market was worth millions, with pre-made packs of themed papers, inks, paints, markers, stickers; and retailers would devote a significant amount of space to this area. Scrapbooking shares ground with the current journaling trend in many ways, except journaling tends to be more word based. However, these can be annotated with pictures, doodles and other paraphernalia. ‘Bullet journaling’ in particular has become really popular recently, focusing on schedules, to-do lists, and goals per week, month or even year. THE STATIONERY, CARD AND CRAFT MARKETS ARE MUCH MORE CLOSELY LINKED THESE DAYS THAN 20YEARS AGO, AND THEY INFLUENCE EACH OTHER A LOT. HENRI DAVIS explores stationery’s current obsession with DIY and personalisation DO IT YOURSELF STATIONERY mt tape,Stone Marketing STATIONERY BIZ