Epokka Notebooks: A Notebook System Designed for Creative Brains

Epokka Notebooks began as a personal design challenge born out of a common frustration: creatives often need different kinds of pages—lined, grid, and blank—but traditional notebooks force a choice. Why carry three notebooks when one could do the job?

As the designer and founder, I created a system of compact, color-coded notebooks that seamlessly integrate all three paper types into one beautifully designed object. What started as a simple idea evolved into a fully prototyped, tested, and launched product line—Epokka.

The challenge: Design a notebook that satisfies the diverse needs of creatives, while also being elegant, functional, and portable.

Key goals:

• Combine lined, grid, and blank paper into a single, cohesive system.
• Ensure ease of use and visual navigation between sections.
• Make the notebook small enough to carry anywhere, while maintaining premium feel.
• Develop and test prototypes for a full-scale launch.

As a designer and avid notebook user myself, I had firsthand experience with the limitations of existing products. I also gathered feedback from fellow creatives, writers, and planners to better understand what features were truly essential.

Research methods:

• Self-observation and journaling of frustrations with existing notebooks.
• Informal interviews with other creative professionals.
• Reviewing and analyzing best-selling and niche notebook brands.
• Testing popular notebooks for usability, paper quality, and durability.

Key insights:

• No existing notebooks successfully combined multiple page types without compromise.
• Many notebooks didn’t lay flat, making them difficult to use in practical situations.
• Paper quality varied widely—ink bleed-through and ghosting were major pain points for designers and illustrators.

From the start, the solution had to be functional, elegant, and delightful. The concept: one notebook, three thoughtfully organized paper types, each color-coded for ease of use and mental clarity.

Design choices driven by research:

• Three-in-one system: Each notebook contains ruled, graph, and blank sections.
• Color-coded paper edges and tabs: Allow quick visual navigation.
• Lay-flat binding: Made possible through rigorous prototyping and material selection.
• Portable size: Designed to fit easily into a bag without sacrificing usability.

Each decision—from paper weight to stitching technique—was grounded in testing and feedback.

The Epokka process was deeply iterative, and I documented each step to track how decisions evolved.

Key stages:

• Material exploration:
  • Selected cloth swatches for covers based on tactile and aesthetic appeal. Read more
  • Tested multiple paper types to avoid bleed-through, especially with fountain pens. Read more
• Prototype refinement:
  • Created early prototypes and identified issues with binding, cover strength, and tab visibility. Read more
  • Conducted hands-on usage testing, including stress-testing binding durability and comfort. Read more
• Cover design:
  • Developed vibrant, personality-filled cover art for different editions. Sunny Grid Notebook, Cartoony Lined Notebook
• User application:
  • Documented how I personally used the “Duo” system for UX design work. Read more

Iterations led to:

• Upgraded materials for better ink resistance.
• Tweaked tab visibility and color-coding.
• Shift from pink to bold orange covers after user feedback. See the change

Final Solution

The final Epokka Notebook system features multiple editions, including the flagship “Duo” notebook (lined + graph), as well as full idea notebook prototypes designed for creatives, writers, and hybrid thinkers.

Key features:

• Lined, blank, and graph sections in one portable package.
• Stylish, durable cloth covers with custom illustrations.
• Lay-flat construction for effortless usability.
• Designed with creatives in mind, from UX professionals to writers and illustrators.

Watch the promo video for a full product showcase.

Epokka officially launched as a Kickstarter campaign, drawing support and feedback from creative professionals worldwide.

Outcomes:

• Built a passionate early following of creative users who resonated with the product’s philosophy.
• Created a functional, design-forward notebook that solved a real problem for multi-talented creatives.
• Received enthusiastic responses about the paper quality and usability.

Though the Kickstarter campaign didn’t meet its funding goal, the insights gained were invaluable.

Epokka officially launched as a Kickstarter campaign, drawing support and feedback from creative professionals worldwide.

Outcomes:

• Built a passionate early following of creative users who resonated with the product’s philosophy.
• Created a functional, design-forward notebook that solved a real problem for multi-talented creatives.
• Received enthusiastic responses about the paper quality and usability.

Though the Kickstarter campaign didn’t meet its funding goal, the insights gained were invaluable.

This project taught me how powerful it is to solve personal pain points through design and to follow an idea from sketch to real-world production.

Key takeaways:

• The value of hands-on prototyping can’t be overstated—physical testing revealed things digital mockups never could.
• Emotional resonance matters. The users who loved Epokka felt seen—and that matters just as much as metrics.
• Success isn’t always defined by funding—it’s defined by vision, connection, and craft.

Next steps:

• Revise the product line for future retail or online relaunch.
• Consider on-demand production or limited-edition releases.
• Explore collaborations with other creatives and illustrators.