Designing a notebook in your branding is one of the most powerful ways to get people thinking about your brand. It makes the ideal gift for clients, customers and employees – practical, universally used and a real, physical reminder of your brand.

Here’s what you need to think about when creating a branded notebook.

Why design a branded notebook?

Your brand’s visual identity is the first impression people will have of you. You want it to inspire emotion and create an association with your products and service whenever it’s seen. But it’s not just your logo – your visual identity should follow through all aspects of your business, whether that’s digitally or in person.

A branded notebook is an effective way to boost your brand identity, both when used internally by employees or as a corporate gift. There are so many customisation options available, you can create something really bespoke and perfectly on brand. Plus, it’s one of the best marketing giveaways you could get – practical, looks great and is something the receiver will use daily.

We’ve been producing branded notebooks for businesses small and large for over 10 years, so know a thing or two about getting the most effective results. Let’s dive into what you need to think about when ordering your custom notebooks.

Choose your notebook style and size

The first thing you need to do is decide when designing a notebook is the actual notebook itself. What size do you want? A5 or A6? Do you want to create a typical diary-style notebook, or more of a custom journal with an industry-specific layout?

Here at Curious Book Co., we offer a range of different sizes and styles of notebook, so you will be able to find something that suits your tastes and budget.

Standard Size

Our standard size curious books are slightly larger than A5, at 23.5cm x 16.4cm, creating a luxurious feel. They’re ideal for office use – writing to do lists, taking meeting notes and planning your work week. Plus, they come with a back pocket that contains a second secret notepad that’s ideal for brainstorming and rough notes.

Pocketbook

Our pocket books come in at 14.5cm x 9.4cm and are a handy size for taking on the go. They have perforated pages and a mini document pouch in the back that’s perfect for receipts and business cards.

Made-to-measure

If you need something bigger or smaller, we can make it happen. Just let us know what size notebook you’re looking for and we can create a made-to-measure solution for you.

Pick your colour

Matching your notebook to your brand colours is the best way to make it feel connected to your brand. We have 26 standard cover colours to choose from, but if you’re looking for a completely custom solution or want your notebook matched to a specific pantone, we can make it happen.

You could either opt for your dominant brand colour for your notebook cover, or choose one of your secondary tones with a colour foil printed logo. If you can’t decide, you don’t have to pick just one – we can add the same branding design to several colour notebooks if you like!

Choose your paper type

Lined, plain, or something more bespoke? The paper type you choose might depend on your business industry or how you’re planning on distributing the notebooks. If you’re in a creative industry, plain paper might be better so users can sketch and create mind maps. Lined might be better if the main purpose will be for note taking. Or, if you need something more unique like gridded or dotted paper, we can make it happen.

Decide on your logo finish

This is the stage where your notebook really becomes your notebook. Whether you want to go with an out-there design on the front cover or something more simple and pared-back, the choice is all yours. If you wanted the best of both worlds, you could go for a simple exterior design and then go for a branded inside cover with a custom printed insert.

Whatever you decide to do, the most important thing is that you manage to capture the essence of your brand within your notebook’s design.

Debossing

Debossing is our most popular form of notebook customisation. It’s subtle, tactile and elegant, effectively showcasing your brand without going overboard.

We work with high-quality manual presses and every notebook is debossed individually by hand, ensuring a beautiful finish. We’re able to deboss any design, from a small logo to a full bleed pattern, so you can get really creative with your artwork.

Foil Print

For a touch of luxury or splash of colour, foil printing is the way to go. Choose between a full foil printed logo, or a mix or foil print and debossing for a more subtle approach. We have a huge range of foils to choose from, including metallic and solid shades, so we can find something that perfectly matches your branding.

UV Digital Printing

UV printing is one of the newer forms of digital printing, which allows artwork to be printed picture perfect. It’s ideal for detail heavy artwork or if you want a glossy finish, leaving you with a branded notebook that’s sure to cut through the noise.

Think about finishing touches

Once you have the basic design of your customised notebook down, it’s time to dig down into the details.

When it comes to putting the finishing touches on your notebook, there’s a variety of different options that you can choose. Here are some of the different things that we offer at Curious Book Co. to give you an idea:

• You can add a custom belly band to your notebookfor another layer of individuality
• Add a branded page inserton the front and back cover. This can be some additional artwork, some flavour copy about your brand – anything you like!
• If you have decided to add any metallic elements to your notebook, you could opt for laser engraving on your notebookand create a unique inscription or piece of artwork for your customers
• For a more sophisticated look, you could go for gilded page edges!

Decide on quantities

It’s not the most exciting part about designing a notebook, but getting the right order size is important.

If you’re looking for a small order size, our Curious Book is the perfect fit. We offer a minimum order size of just 10, perfect for handing out to those special customers or a small team of employees. The notebook can be finished with your logo beautifully debossed or foil printed, and comes with your choice of paper type, page edge and band colour.

For this style of book, we offer super quick lead times too; we can go from concept to completion in just 3-5 days!

If you’re looking for something more bespoke, we can look at creating a white label or custom notebook for your brand. This option might have larger minimum order quantities and take a bit longer to deliver, but our team will be able to advise on specifics during the next step – getting your quote.

Get your quote

Getting a quote with us couldn’t be easier – use our book builder to see a visual of how your branded notebook will look, or just drop us a message on our enquiry form. Our team will be in touch within 24 hours with your quote and some design mock-ups.

Place your order

Once you’re happy with your notebook mockup, it’s time to place your order. You’ll receive an estimated delivery time, and your books will be delivered to you by an accredited global courier. We’ll give you a tracking code so you can keep an eye on the delivery status. Your branded notebooks will be in hand before you know it!

Looking to create your own custom notebook? We are Curious Book Co., designers and producers of high-quality notebooks, journals and diaries. Head to our design suite and start getting creative! Alternatively, if you would just like to speak with us about our process and discuss something a little more bespoke, feel free to give us a call.