
It was “National Notebook Day” on May 20 so I thought it was a good time to look at a couple of promotional JournalBook notebooks I was given. These 5.5″ x 8.5″ hardcover books seem to only be available as promotional items sold in bulk. JournalBooks are run by the Polyconcept Group, a promotional products supplier that also operates Leed’s and Bullet Line. A sticker neatly placed inside the back pocket of each book is labeled Leed’s who apparently outsource the manufacturing of them as one is made in India and the other in China. The company must be very exact in their specifications because, aside from the covers, they are exactly the same. Both books have a built-in elastic closure, ribbon bookmark bound into the spine, and an expandable accordion pocket inside the back cover.


They aren’t the first JournalBooks I have used. Interestingly, one I tried before was from Domain.com and these two are from Verisign and GoDaddy so it appears they are a favourite giveaway from technology companies. I guess that tech companies like analog tools, or at least to hand them out as promotional gifts. From my experience with the Domain.com journal, I can confirm the creamy, lightly lined pages are fountain pen friendly and actually really nice to write on.

I decided to experiment with the Verisign journal to make the cover more interesting. I taped off a frame with painter’s tape, then used a palette knife to spread on Golden Fiber Paste to cover the debossed logo and provide a good base to paint on. The result is supposed to look a bit like handmade paper when it is dry. I did two coats because the first coat was really uneven. For the design, I was inspired by artist Terry Runyan’s cats and just used some assorted acrylic paints I had on hand. I think the end result is cheery. I love Terry Runyan’s work and have tried to imitate it before.





If these JournalBooks were people, they would come from all over the globe to work in sales but it is hard to pin down exactly where they are from since they go under assumed names.