The Invention of a Legendary Notebook: Producing Authenticity Through Storytelling
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Souwie de Wijn The Invention of a Legendary Notebook: Producing Authenticity through Storytelling Moleskine notebooks seem to be very basic, simple notebooks, yet they are fairly expensive and immensely popular. Why do we fall for them and what story does Moleskine try to sell to us? 81 Fig. 1. Leaflet found in Moleskine notebooks. (photo: Anna de Jong) Starting out as a small company in 1997, the younger than the invention of the book or Italian brand Moleskine has grown tremendous- notebook itself: storytelling. ly over the past decade.1 One of its first Emphasizing the uniqueness of the products to appear on the market was a black product, the text in the leaflet continues to tell hardcover notebook. Since then, many varia- a story about a notebook that used to be tions on the product have followed.2 Something produced by a small French bookbinder for sale that all notebooks by Moleskine have in in Parisian stationary shops and was popular common is the enclosed leaflet that is to be among ‘the artistic and literary avant-garde of found in the notebook’s characteristic inner the world’.6 According to the text, Moleskine pocket. The leaflet tells the owner the note- produces handmade notebooks which are ‘the book’s background and emphasizes the successor’ to the French notebook and are significance of the product (fig. 1).3 The text ‘partners for the creative and imaginative starts with the following statement: ‘Moleskine professions of our time’.7 is a brand that identifies a family of notebooks, The Moleskine brand is not unique in diaries and city guides: [...] ultimately becoming rendering authentic qualities, such as craft an integral part of one’s personality.’4 With this production and creative lifestyle, by means of statement the brand suggests that its products storytelling. Consumers in affluent societies exceed their function as tools to form an nowadays appear to be surrounded by brands essential part of their user’s life. Moreover, the that tell stories of a similar kind.8 An example products can become part of a user’s being: that closely resembles the storytelling strategy ‘Moleskine is synonymous with [...] personal of Moleskine is the Levi’s brand (fig. 2). The identity.’5 One might wonder how Moleskine, Levi’s Vintage Clothing fashion line ‘offer[s] by trading a traditional object that has been timeless products to discerning connoisseurs’, around for centuries and in plentiful supply, by representing a series of garments that aim would expect to successfully achieve this. The to ‘faithfully capture the spirit and heritage of answer seems to involve a formula that is no American work wear’, through replication of 82 Fig. 2. Levi’s logo with two farmers whipping up their horses, demonstrating the strength of a pair of denim jeans. Accessed through www.flickr.com, published under the Creative Commons Licence. (photo: kylewagaman) the denim’s original weight, texture, weave of organizing information as structured stories and dye.9 Besides the classic model 501, the is acquired at a young age.12 2013 spring collection pays tribute to the 1950s Although the structure of stories can be culture of clothing related to a typical American analyzed in different ways, it seems that stories car called the ‘hot rod’, and to nineteenth-cen- revolve around recurring patterns that apply to tury miners. By connecting its products to the both fiction and non-fiction. For example, the lifestyles of long gone days, Levi’s generates a journalist Christopher Booker distinguishes historical notion of the role that the company seven story plots that repeatedly appear in sto- has played in American culture across centu- ries which are in turn recognized by Professor ries. Comparable to Moleskine’s storytelling of Economics Tyler Cowen as occurring in both strategy, Levi’s evokes contemporary practices fictional and non-fictional contexts.13 Along that have been built on the authentic cultural similar lines, it has been argued that fictional heritage of distinct groups in society and the narratives have the ability to influence peo- promotion of craftsmanship. ple’s understanding of reality. A repeated set Both Moleskine and Levi’s tell a story that of experiments demonstrated that, after being provides their products with a hint of unique- exposed to weak and unsupported statements ness and genuineness. At the same time, the occurring in the conversations of narrative stories marginalize the non-descript ordinari- protagonists, readers are likely to shift their atti- ness of products like notebooks and garments tude towards the same topics that relate to real and go against negative connotations such as life situations.14 homogeneity and artificiality which are often The human tendency towards storytelling attributed to mass-produced commodities. appears to coincide with the human preference Using Moleskine’s black notebook as a start- for cognitive ease which includes a preference ing point, this essay explores storytelling as an for familiarity.15 Daniel Kahneman, Nobel instrument to render the differentiating quality Laureate and founder of behavioural economics, of authenticity to consumer products. describes cognitive ease as being relatively ‘casual’ and ‘superficial’ in one’s thinking.16 Storytelling Since a state of cognitive ease requires little There appears to be a general consensus mental and physical effort, this thinking system among authors with different scientific back- is generally at work. A good mood, a repeated grounds that stories and their associated struc- experience, a clear display or a primed idea can tures are deeply rooted in our lives.10 People each lead to cognitive ease which makes the unconsciously use stories to structure large individual feel familiar, true, good and effort- amounts of information. In doing so, the con- less.17 Citing Professor of Psychology Larry tents are represented in a simplified form and Jacoby, Kahneman argues that ‘the experience by applying narrative principals such as cause of familiarity has a simple, but powerful quality and effect, coherency is increased.11 This habit of ‘pastness’ that seems to indicate that it is a 83 direct reflection of prior experiences’; therefore that produced the present-day Moleskines is ‘familiarity is not easily distinguished from largely an invention of the 1990’s. truth’.18 Following this line of reasoning, the familiarity of recurring story patterns may be in Storytelling by Means of Design support of making a message appear more Although all Moleskine notebooks radiate truthful. a similar simplicity and functionality, the black hardcover notebook comes closest Inventing the Legendary Notebook to Chatwin’s description of the French one. A notebook can be perceived as a storytelling Chatwin mentions an oilcloth binding that looks medium, a space to structure and materialize like the leather made from mole skin, a cheaper ideas into words or visuals. This connection is alternative to genuine leather at the time. Mole- implied by Moleskine’s accompanying narrative skine adapted this characteristic feature, using which states: ‘The Moleskine notebook is the a similar material for the cover of their note- heir and successor to the legendary notebook books.24 Furthermore, identical to Chatwin’s de- used by artists and thinkers over the past two scription, the Moleskine notebook is fitted with centuries: among them Vincent van Gogh, a flat elastic band that allows for better closure. Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Bruce The most direct reference to Chatwin’s novel, Chatwin.’19 however, is made by a printed text that one The direct source of inspiration for this finds when opening the Moleskine notebook. It narrative was a passage in the novel The quotes Chatwin’s habit of offering a reward to Songlines (1986) by Bruce Chatwin (1940- the finder of a lost notebook: ‘In case of loss, 1989).20 In this novel Chatwin describes his love please return to.... As a reward: $....’ for a French notebook: Incorporating several references to Chatwin’s novel, the design of the Moleskine '[...] I made three neat stacks of my ‘Paris’ notebook may be perceived as a material trans- notebooks. In France, these notebooks are lation of the notebook in Chatwin’s story. Yet, known as carnets moleskines: ‘mole besides echoing Chatwin’s story, the design skine’, in this case, being its black oilcloth links to earlier times in a more general manner binding. Each time I went to Paris, I would by making reference to characteristics of book buy a fresh supply from a papeterie in the design preceding the age of industrial mass- Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie. The pages were production: as opposed to being glued, the squared and the end-papers held in place Moleskine notebook is sewn and it has a hard- with an elastic band. I had numbered them cover and a ribbon bookmark. Such elements in series. I wrote my name and address on create the impression that Moleskine stands the front page, offering a reward to the in the tradition of bookmaking craft. By linking finder. To lose a passport was the least of the notebook to pre-industrial craft production, one’s worries: to lose a notebook was a the design takes on a vernacular quality. catastrophe.'21 Vernacularism as a descriptive term, has been constructed around the so-called ‘English Further on in the novel, Chatwin expresses his rural myth’ which found expression in literature: regret for the fact that the notebook runs out in books by Jane Austen (1775-1817), but also of production. Having read Chatwin’s novel in in