About

About: a personal story

We want to make personal products as a tool to inspire and develop personal stories. We’re all one of a kind!

Every evolution, solution, success or revolution starts with an idea. Inspired by the world around us, by reusing existing materials and molding them into new combinations, new ideas can emerge. That’s exactly what happens inside our About Blanks books – new ideas come to life. We believe that ideas can change the world. We aim for a more social and sustainable world. Therefore we need to encourage inspiration and nurture creativity. Just like books, each person has a personal story. By reusing old book covers About Blanks gives new life to old books. By making unique and personal products About Blanks provides tools to inspire and develop personal stories. Every About Blanks book is unique and is crafted by hand. That is what makes them so special. We’re all one of a kind!

How it all started

The idea of what would later become ‘About Blanks’ started a couple of years ago.

It all happened at the library where I used to get fascinated by the looks, textures and smell of the covers of old books. I have been using sketchbooks my entire life, so it did not take very long until I decided to use a book cover of an already existing book to make my own sketchbook. Shortly after the first one, I made another one for a friend of mine, another one for my mom, another one for my aunt… Before I knew I found myself starting up a business!

Awareness

It is very important to be aware of the things that surround us.

The shortage of raw materials in contemporary society forces us to become more creative with the already existing materials. About Blanks is about using those already existing materials in order to create new combinations, inspired by what happens in the world around us. That is exactly what happens inside our About Blanks books – new ideas come to life! Every About Blanks book is unique and is crafted by hand. That is what makes them so special. Every book is one of a kind. The covers are made of reused covers and the inner part is made of paper from responsible sources (FSC).

PRODUCTS

Our sketch- and notebooks are made from reused and recycled materials. Old book covers get a new life as sketchbook or notebook. We reuse old book covers by removing the old inner work and refilling the cover with sustainable blank sketch paper. Because we reuse old book covers, each About Blanks note- sketchbook is different and therefore unique

Social

Sustainability goes beyond reusing and recycling materials. About Blanks products are made in a social employment facility, where people with a disability or poor job prospects can get a job and through this participate in society. We want to make products that stimulate personal stories and development, also for our coworkers.

Paper

We use the terms sketchbook and notebook interchangeably. All About Blanks are filled with unlined blank sketch paper. The sketch paper comes from responsible sources (FSC). The paper has a light cream shade and the texture makes it perfect for sketching and making notes.