Moleskine may be famous for its high-quality notebooks and organizers that evoke turn-of-the-last-century Paris, but the Italian company is leaping into the digital age with paper products designed for connectivity. The goal is to bridge the gap between the physical world and the increasingly connected online one.
“Human beings are physical and mental, you could say we have hardware and software. We need both kinds of activities,” said Maria Sebregondi, Moleskine co-founder and vice president for brand equity. “What we are seeing these days are that the young people, especially the digital natives, the so-called millennials, are the ones most interested in embracing very physical activities.”
While Sebregondi would not use the term reinvent—she prefers to think of Moleskine as evolving along a continuum—the cardboard bound paper products have taken a virtual turn. Three years ago, Moleskine partnered with Evernote to create “smart notebooks” that allow for easy digitization of handwriting. “Evernote ruled” and “Evernote squared” page styles have dotted lines to ensure a clean image when digitally capturing your notebook, and images can then be shared in an iOS or Android app.
“We’re trying to combine the advantages of the handwriting, hand sketching, together with digital advantages—the fact that you can work on your text or your drawings, you can change, you can transform, you can share, you can elaborate in different ways,” Sebregondi said.
Moleskine also has a notebook designed for Livescribe smartpens, where each page has a dot pattern to easily digitize handwritten notes. The company recently rolled out its Timepage app for iOS, which is a “warmer, more meaningful” way to manage a personal calendar.
Sebregondi added that Moleskine’s digital partnerships are exemplary of how handwriting can improve cognitive development. “The gesture of handwriting is activating a larger part of our brain, especially involving an emotional part. There is a big difference in the kind of memory and learning you get when this kind of motory part is available.”
