PaperSpecsGallery.com Presents: Tapestry Designer Notebooks

In the high-stakes world of fashion, image is everything. So when Coach Inc. – the holding company for Coach New York, Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade New York – rebranded itself as Tapestry a few years ago to take the focus off the famous leather goods name, everything was designed to reflect the “tapestry” concept, right down to the premium designer notebooks given to guests at the launch party.

Brand design firm CSA (Carbone Smolan Agency) developed the new name, story and visual identity, choosing a vibrant Yellow paired with stark-yet-subtle Black-and-White textural brand patterns.

These bold, fresh and lively patterns really come to shine in the notebooks. Produced by our friends at Highresolution, they feature one of 4 different covers – 250 copies of each were printed.

Click here or below to watch the video:

The big surprise with these? The dark patterns on the covers weren’t printed but actually Black foil stamped on 130 lb. Neenah Classic Crest Avalanche White, which adds a very subtle tactile element. (I say “very subtle” as the impression was purposefully kept light so that there would be no bruising on the inside front and back covers.)

The inside front cover was printed Yellow, a perfect match to the Yellow bellyband folded around the hinge scored, perfect bound designer notebook.

The new Tapestry name as well as those of the three subsidiaries were all offset printed on Sappi McCoy Silk Text, which was then wrapped around and tucked into each notebook.

During the creative process there had been talk about making the “Tapestry” branding completely removable, with the ideas of a book jacket or a tear-off bellyband debated. Highresolution countered with a very elegant compromise.

Careful examination reveals that even after the wraparound bellyband is removed, the “Tapestry” name appears subtle and elegant on the book’s spine in the form of Black foil lettering on a patch of Yellow.

The final touch? A matching Yellow ribbon bookmark that isn’t just handy, it also gives the impression of the bellyband magically passing through the notebook to come out the bottom.

The foil patterns, band and ribbon aren’t just eye-catching design elements, they also come together to reflect the unifying idea behind the “Tapestry” name: three individual companies woven together to create a greater whole.