Office Chatter

Is there such a thing as a woman's notebook and what should a notebook have to make it a woman's accessory? If you're thinking stereotypes, then it would have to be in pink and have an in-built mirror.

That's where you could be wrong. Well, if you were a Victorian, that is. Apparently they thought pink was a 'stronger' colour than blue and dressed boys in pink, with blue, supposedly a 'softer' colour, reserved for girls. Today, you couldn't get more 'manly' than the Leander Club, Sir Steve Redgrave's rowing club, which boasts a pink hippo as its symbol. Fearsome beasts, despite their cuddly image. (The hippos, not the rowers.)

So, though Pink n Black notebooks may ostensibly be about style, they're actually about style and function. There's a choice of casebound and wirebound notebooks, and they all use premium 90gsm paper, so there should be less show through. (I'm sure we've all found it annoying when notebooks effectively halve their page count by stopping you writing on both sides.)

Talking of pages, the casebound Pink & Black A4 notebook clocks in at 192 pages and comes with a hardcover and ribbon bookmark.

If, like me, you like wirebound notebooks, then the Pink & Black ones have twin-wire binding for flexibility and strength.  The perforated pages tear to standard size, and the laminated cover should keep your notes in good condition and should afford you some protection against spills and splashes in A4, A5 and A6 sizes. (Though we don't recommend going for bigger splashes just because you've got a big Pink & Black notebook.)

In case you're looking for project books, Pink & Black have these in wirebound  A4+ and A5+ formats. The three movable dividers help you to keep track of your work among the 200 pages, and there's an integrated pocket for all those bits and pieces that materialise from nowhere – scraps of notes, business cards, out of date vouchers and the inevitable bills…

And, if all that weren't enough, it so happens that for every notebook sold, Pink & Black will donate money to the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, but whether you're a woman or not, you can be well organised with a Pink & Black notebook.