Format, number of sheets, ruling – the new design of exercise books is tale-telling at first sight

Unified design features and easier orientation in product ranges – these are two major aims that we have set for the new concept of exercise book covers at Papírny Brno. Their format, number of sheets, and ruling – or a different printing on sheets inside – will be clear at first sight from now on. There is enough space for a name label that does not interfere with the design of the front cover left. So you can easily distinguish a large, slim exercise book with 20 sheets of squared paper from an exercise book with 40 dotted sheets of the same size – even when just looking at the spine of the exercise book. Let’s see how to do it without much hassle.

The front cover of exercise books from the production of Papírny Brno usually features a numeric code, i.e. a three-digit code summarizing major features of the exercise book: its format/size, ruling, and the number for sheets. The code also reveals other indices that can help with the orientation in the product range:

1. The numeric codes of new exercise books appear in the coloured field that overlaps over the spine to the back cover now. Colours and the last digit of the code indicate the ruling. The exercise books are divided as follows:

   1. the blue colour is used for a blank exercise book with pages without any kind of print, and the numeric code of the exercise book ends with the xx0 digit. A large blank exercise book with 40 sheets of paper is marked with number 440 in the blue field;

   2. the red colour refers to a lined exercise book with the height of lines set at 8 mm, i.e. it is a typical exercise book for higher grades, and its numeric code ends with the xx4 digit. A lined pocket diary with 20 sheets of paper is marked with number 624;

   3. the green exercise books feature squared paper with the size of squares set at 5 × 5 mm, and they are most often used in physics classes. Their numeric code ends with xx5. A small squared exercise book with 60 sheets of paper is marked with number 565;

   4. the yellow colour is a new one in the range of ruling marking. It is used for dotted exercise books (the distance of dots is 8 × 8 mm in our exercise books). Their numeric code ends with xx8, and the number of a large exercise book with 40 sheets of paper is 448.

We are convinced that the new front cover design will make life and orientation easier – for warehouse workers, stationery shop assistants, and customers (schoolboys’ and schoolgirls’ parents)… and for schoolboys and schoolgirls, too. We simply want to make your choice out of our product range as comfortable as possible.

As we have designed the colour field so that it overlaps over the spine, one can tell the specific exercise book type at first sight when looking on the whole package of exercise books, even in a warehouse and from the side. The size can be guessed by the height, the number of sheets is almost clear judging by the thickness, and the ruling is revealed by the colour strip.

Since the codes are not very clear for a lot of people at first, we have decided to print a “sample” of what is inside the exercise book onto the front cover. Just look at the bottom right-hand corner, and it is immediately clear whether you are reaching for a blank, lined, squared, or dotted exercise book.

The front cover design of some exercise books was disturbed by a name label – a space for the first name, surname, subject, class, and school year. We haver solved the issue by introducing a light stripe with three lines across the whole width of the cover. The graphic motif of the cover remains without any interference as it “shines through” the lines.