I only have a partial memory of the terror with which primary school teachers demanded precise colours, almost precise Pantone codes for the covers of the notebooks of the different subjects: red for maths, green for Italian and blue for history and geography. I don’t know what the teachers of 2022 will be like, but I certainly wish mine had known about the Instagram profile @quadernetto, a “research project, archiving and dissemination of intact notebooks“.
Curated by @giuliadmarchini and @tommasotrojani, the page is a collection of beautiful, vintage-looking covers of notebooks, diaries and anything else that can help you take notes in an alternative way to the iPhone app.

Shots of motorboat races, patriotic illustrations and the taste of tourist postcards typical of a bygone Italy. At the centre of @quadernetto’s research are not only the covers, but also the small details that time has left on the ruled and squared sheets, such as the rusty marks of the paper clip or the slightly yellowed edges.
Also with a vintage feel are the letters on the edges of the pages, which used to help find the number of the doctor or second cousin to call just for Christmas greetings. Graphic designers will also surely appreciate the research into fonts and illustrations, a real collection of references from a world that was still analogue, where you could cut yourself with paper, with secrets not protected by a password.