As part of our 30th birthday celebrations, we’re sharing a peek behind the scenes and introducing some of the people who help bring our products to life. Check out the Paperblanks30 tag for more special anniversary content!
Tell Us a Bit About Yourself
Name: Adina
When you joined the Paperblanks team: June 17, 2002
Role at Paperblanks: Associate Art Director
Journal you’re currently using: Voltaire’s Book of Fate, Destiny
Passions: lawn bowling and tennis, journalling and reading, spending time with my kids, connecting with friends
What is your favourite Paperblanks cover art or product of all time, and why?
Over my 20 years at Paperblanks I have become attached to diverse designs, and looking back at my choices I see that they reflected the various stages in my life. Intricate Inlays, Mirror Vine was my very first favorite journal, a passion that I developed while I was preparing the design for print. I will always treasure it as my training cover with its blue stones that look amazing up close. Later, we released what I still consider iconic to this day, the Lindau series, which immediately mesmerized me with its richness and symbolism. William Morris Windrush is another title that I consider stunning – the harmony of the design enhanced by the Paperblanks treatments gave us a visually seductive and universally appealing journal.
What makes you want to be a part of the Paperblanks team and help bring our products to the world?
Paperblanks has a wonderful team of dedicated and highly motivated people who live and breathe professionalism and dedication. I continue to learn every day from them, and it is a pleasure and an honor to be part of a team. There is an open and inclusive spirit among us which helps integrate innovative ideas into existing products and bring new products to life. I have made lifelong friendships and met remarkably interesting people along the way, for which I am grateful.
What is one thing people might not know about Paperblanks the company?
Paperblanks journals were the first journals on the stationery market that were shiny looking and later had a wrap closure, thanks to the vision of our founder and art director, Supriti Bharma. It took a couple of years and the cooperation of a dedicated and knowledgeable printer to integrate these ideas into journals.
Once we released them on the market, the first thing that people said when they saw a Paperblanks journal was “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Many years ago, Paperblanks produced custom journals for one of Oprah Winfrey’s shows and they were handed out to the audience live. This was followed a few years later by having Paperblanks journals as part of the gift bags that are prepared for the Oscar nominees. That is when we knew that our diligent and passionate work and care was making an impact on a larger scale.
Where do you hope to see Paperblanks go over the next 30 years?
Paperblanks has a wonderful spirit of always pushing through and coming out stronger from every challenge that the business faces. The next 30 years will continue to bring amazing designs into the markets, and this time not only as journals and planners but also as an ever-growing array of lifestyle accessories. New markets still wait to be conquered when the time is right for sales and distribution. Paperblanks was always more than just a journal; it was also an educational tool in design and high quality. We bring to the customers antique bindings once commissioned by kings and popes, precious textile designs stored in museums and renowned artists. And by doing so we bring a high standard of art into each home. To beautify one’s life on the inside and on the outside is our main purpose in creating Paperblanks products.
Thanks for sharing and being a part of the Paperblanks family, Adina!
