Another year, another diary. Whether you’ve finally made the early New Year's resolution to get organised and have decided a good quality planner is the first step, or you’re a diary devotee who knows exactly what you’re after, this guide is as an introduction to our range here at Bookbinders Design.
We have no-nonsense, reliable German diaries from Leuchtturm1917, responsibly-made and expertly crafted Japanese diaries from Midori, as well as beautiful fabric covered diaries from our own Bookbinders Design in-house brand.
The Formats
Whether you’re a carefree monthly-overview kind of diary-user, or a Stanley Kubrick level minute-by-minute weekly tactician, we carry all manner of different diary formats to cater for all sorts of planning-styles.
Weekly Notebook
By far the most popular of the available formats, the Weekly Notebook has all seven days of the week stacked down the left page, with the right page a dedicated space for notes.
Whether you use that right-hand page as a place for random notes, for weeklong “battle plans” or a retrospective lookback at the week, it’s up to you. Arguably the most versatile of the formats, if you don’t have the room to carry along a notebook too, the Weekly Notebook is perhaps the one for you.
Weekly Planner
If you like the stacked horizontal layout of the Weekly Notebook, but either don’t need the note page or can’t settle on how to use it (very relatable), then the Weekly Planner is a good pick.
With the seven days of the week now generously spread across both pages, there is ample room given to each day no matter the size of diary you get your hands on. The Weekly Planner is just as useful as a planner as it is a daily journal.
Weekly Vertical
Now this is where diaries get serious. If you have so many meetings, appointments, catch-ups and dates to schedule that it’s all becoming a bit chaotic, the Weekly Vertical is the diary for you. With the seven days of the week organised into columns across a two page spread, the Weekly Vertical format allows you to see not only what you have on during the day, but at what time.
If you’ve got a lot on your plate, there’s nothing better than the Weekly Vertical. Pair your Weekly Vertical diary with a good pen and some highlighters, and turn an overwhelming schedule into an easily digestible, approachable one.
Daily
Sometimes, you just have a lot to say or do. The Daily format is exactly what it sounds like - one page for every day of the year. Yes, they can be used as a planner, but where these daily diaries really shine is as more of a journal.
With this amount of freedom, these are a great pick for those who’ve tooled around with bullet journalling. Daily diaries, in the hands of a really creative diarist, can become near scrapbooks. Places to plan, track memories and stick in mementos like postcards and concert tickets.
Monthly
If your day-to-day routine is more-or-less the same, making the above formats a bit too much for your needs, then the Monthly diary could be a good pick. For the more laidback and carefree of planners, the Monthly layout diary is barely a diary at all. Serving more as a notebook with a handy calendar table at the front to keep track of important dates, whether they be birthdays, holidays, catch-ups, or concerts.
But that’s not to say you can’t honestly make a case for using both in a year. You could have your Weekly Vertical diary to keep track of work, whilst your Monthly diary keeps track of those showtimes, parties, and holidays that made the year a memorable one. With the note section at the rear serving as the perfect place to enter all of those memories as one would with a journal.
The Brands
Leuchtturm1917
Founded in Hamburg in you guessed it 1917, Leuchtturm began as a family business and has for over a century produced quality notebooks that surpass many others in their price bracket for durability and paper quality. The most comprehensive brand as far as diaries are concerned, Leuchtturm1917 offers diaries in everything from the absolutely tiny A7 up to the mammoth A4 Daily planner, which could put a dent in the pavement if dropped from high enough.
Bookbinders Design
Hey, that’s us! Founded in 1927, Bookbinders Design diaries and notebooks are Swedish through and through. The flagship product in the Bookbinders Design range is without a doubt the clothbound diaries, available in Regular and Small sizes (note, while similar to A5 and B6, they’re slightly squared off - we think it’s charming, and as classic as an old classic Hollywood movie).
Also available in the Bookbinders range are a series of refills, suitable for the beautiful patina-ready leather covers, or for one of the many ringbinders. If bound diaries aren’t your thing, well we have something for you too. Bookbinders Design’s range also includes a series of wire-bound diaries.
Midori
Having celebrated their 70th Anniversary just a couple years ago, Midori has long been one of Japan’s finest paper manufacturers. Their fountain pen friendly paper is much beloved among pen enthusiasts, and the ever-so-slight feedback to the paper makes it delightful to use with pencils too.
The Midori diary range is a bit more limited than other offerings, but Midori’s beauty is in their simplicity. While they don’t give you every option under the sun, the variants they do have are intended to be open and inviting to your own interpretation.
Traveler’s Company
First introduced in 2006, the Traveler’s Company refillable leather notebook has become a true cult classic in the stationery world. With its Indiana Jonesy appeal and modularity, it really can be whatever you want it to be.
Each year Traveler’s Company releases dated diary inserts alongside their standard undated refills in three major formats: Weekly Memo, Weekly Vertical and Monthly layouts.
Daycraft
Originating in Hong Kong when a group of friends set out to create stationery that can be used as a creative outlet and a fashion statement, the Daycraft diary is perfect for those looking for a stylish but functional planner. Featuring a soft duo-tone cover, paired with complementary edging, the award-winning Daycraft diary has the times of the day running down the left hand side, as well as some space for notes and monthly date overview at the bottom.
And that concludes our intensive three-week course. We wish you all the best on your hunt for the perfect diary for your 2024. You can see our full range right here.
Questions? We’d love to hear from you, so don’t be shy! Contact us on Facebook, Instagram or via email at info@bookbindersdesign.com.au
