Craft Scotland Calendar     21st Oct 2008

The first of the annual wave of vile "personalized" diaries have started to clatter their way through the studio letterbox...a sure sign that we are nearing Christmas. Year after year these nasty little pocket sized diaries, covered in attractive wipe-proof plastique covers and stamped with my business name and address (usually with at least one typo) land on my desk, followed by the obligatory sales call from someone named Geoff in Coventry who would like to know if I am interested in ordering more for my "valued clients". Brilliant Geoff - I am sure my design savvy clients would love one.

Thankfully, not all diaries and calendars are soul destroying pieces of tat. I'm a big fan of Sukie stationary; lovely screen-printed pages on thick recycled paper (its not just for hippies). The Pantone Calendar popped up on a few design Blogs last year in various guises, my personal favorite was of course made by the clever people at Hamptons. The FiloFax and Moleskin Diary will always be the stationary equivalent of a Prada Clutch and at the other end of the scale, you can't beat a battered old Scholastic School jotter; square paper is my favorite, with a combination of letraset and handwritten dates. This year, Craft Scotland have got in on the corporate calendar act and have produced this nifty little desk calendar. Packaged up in a clear CD case, it contains 12 lovely images of work by Scottish Designers (I particularly like May!) which can be propped up on your desk and gazed at admiringly. It will also make you look cultured and intelligent and may even land you a promotion.  

Available through selected retailers and direct from Craft Scotland.

As Advent Calendar season approaches, I wonder is any one will bite the bullet and produce a Year Planner in Advent Calendar style, 365 little nibbles of chocolate sounds good...