Organizing Efficiently with Roterfaden
Have you noticed that the market now carries a new planner system? The Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter is a feat of design that allows for multiple and disparate notebooks to be used within the same binding. If you’re a little confused, don’t worry - we’ve got the basics for you right here.
The Design
What is a Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter you ask? Let’s break that down.
Roterfaden - a German word meaning “Red Thread” is the name of the company. It was created by Beate Mangrig, as a design school thesis project. Her aim was to research how people use their planners and calendars - how are things stored, sketched, or organized?
Taschenbegleiter - made of two words. Taschen means “book” and begleiter means “Companion”. The Taschenbegleiter is your companion book, an object that you take with you all places, used to help you organize your daily life.
So Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter is an analog system for personal organization. The signature feature are the metallic clips, used to hold different notebooks in one package. You can hold a calendar, a diary, a sketchpad; graph paper, lined or blank paged booklets all in the same outer binding.
The System
What makes this system so special? Versatility, for one. Its unique clip system allows for multiple notebooks to fit inside, as many as you can manage for the size you have. From the basic “3 clip” version to the deluxe “5 clip” option there is a size that can work for anyone.
The outer cover consists of a durable leather (or recycled leather or recycled printing blankets or even ballet dancefloor!) meant to withstand years of bumping, dropping, spillage, and any sort of incidental damage that might occur.
The inner covers are made from upcycled tent fabric, leather, 100% merino wool or vegetable felt. All of these options are sustainable in their own ways and speak to the company’s values to limit their environmental impact.
Combined, these covers make for a strong surface for writing on any notebook.
The idea of combining multiple, separate notebooks under one cover allows for an endless array of set-ups. Of course, there are a set of notebooks designed by Roterfaden that are slim, compact and designed specifically for the system.
The Options
Here we can get into some actual examples of systems. Our shop keeper Jami is quite helpful when it comes to arranging your Taschenbegleiter. She is always able to talk through whatever your needs are when it comes to the Roterfaden system.
For those looking for a dedicated journal or sketchbook, the Taschenbegleiter is adaptable to whatever your needs. There are calendar inserts if you want to organize as a planner; there are blank page notebooks for drawing; there are grid and ruled page booklets to write down any thoughts. There are even small notebooks for “to-do” lists and a slim accordion fold calendar if you don’t need a full planner.
As mentioned, the Taschenbegleiter is made in a universal size (A5) which can fit any notebook of that size. If you are still working through a journal that you would like to see through to the last page, you can! So what are the benefits of the Roterfaden notebooks?
They are made slim and are able to lie flat when your Taschenbegleiter is open. Their size allows for multiple books to fit in at the same time. The clips at the top and bottom of the spine can be removed as needed. The system is very versatile and is limited only by what you can come up with.
Each Taschenbegleiter is custom made, so there are a range of felt/leather combinations in the market. Currently, we are stocking both the A5 and A6 size Taschenbegleiters. For a durable and long lasting analog writing system, take the time and explore what the Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter can do.