“The creative journey, no matter what discipline, often involves a cyclic process of both showing and telling. This notebook is designed to give you the space to sketch your ideas and explain them through writing.” – Baron Fig
Show & Tell
Baron Fig’s latest limited edition Confidant is here, and it’s called “Show & Tell.” The notebook, designed in partnership with Dribbble, provides half ruled and half blank pages so you can show and tell your way through a story. Like every limited edition before, this book has some new qualities not seen in Baron Fig’s previous releases. Let’s take a closer look at the Show & Tell and what makes this one unique.
The Cover
The first thing you’ll notice about this Confidant is the color. One comment I had about the last Confidant (The Lock) was that I really liked the deep shade of green they used for the cover. It was dark and rich and conjured images of an ancient hedge maze in my mind. It was a solid choice on the part of Baron Fig’s design team.
The Show & Tell’s cover is a shade of purple that, if I had to describe it (which I do because I’m a worse photographer than I am a writer), I would describe as a pastel dark lilac. It’s a subtle middle ground shade somewhere between Baron Fig’s Slate Blue and Fig Wine Confidant covers. It’s a unique color cover that I really hope finds its way into the main product line someday.
The cover is also debossed with a stylized representation of the book’s purpose. The design is simple, but conveys the message well.
The Pages
The concept of “show & tell” is apparent the moment you open the notebook. Each page is evenly split between a blank space on top and a ruled space on the bottom. You “show” the story, then you “tell” it. For the less artistically inclined people, such as myself, this blank space provides an open field for brainstorming, story notes, or room for doodles to get the mental juices flowing. This format is also useful for note takers who want to add a little visual pop to their reflections on a meeting. The paper quality is just as good as any other Confidant in Baron Fig’s catalog, so no break in format there.
Dribbble?
From the Dribbble About page:
“Dribbble is a place to show and tell, promote, discover, and explore design.”
At first glance Dribbble is basically and Instagram-like platform exclusively for designers. Instead of seeing someone’s brunch, or an artsy “candid” photo that was painstakingly staged, re-shot, and filtered over beyond recognition, you’ll find logos and concepts and pieces of art that are very clearly labors of love. It’s a hub of visual creativity that both inspires and informs. It’s also a place that connects designers to people in need of their talent, and does so in a pretty straightforward way.
For more information about Dribbble, and how the Show & Tell came about, listen to Thinker Talk episode 15 with Dan Cederholm (co-founder for Dribbble).
Side Note
So here’s the thing; I can’t draw. Not well enough to share anyways. So to fully demonstrate the purpose of the Show & Tell, I’m going to need some help.I have enlisted the help of a local artist who will supply the imagery, and I will supply the story. Keep an eye out for updates, and for a sneak preview, check out Shaboola_Draws on Instagram.
Conclusion
Some of Baron Fig’s limited editions are standard dot-grid notebooks with interesting or unique covers. Others go beyond the cover and introduce a new kind of interior. The Show & Tell is a notebook with a unique purpose that looks wonderful. While I wouldn’t call this a universally useful product, it will definitely scratch an itch for the artistically-inclined notebook enthusiast.
Check out the Baron Fig Show & Tell before it’s gone for good!
If you enjoyed this review, and want to check out the Baron Fig Show & Tell for yourself, use this affiliate link to get a $10 discount on your order of $20 or more. Using that code will also directly assist me in bringing more products in for review.
Disclaimer: Baron Fig provided this product to The Poor Penman blog free of charge for the purpose of review. All opinions stated are those of the author.
The Poor Penman 