What’s in a Name?

Our Limited Edition for Winter is The “Group Eleven” Edition. Here’s a story about how it got that title.

The production process for this release was lengthier than usual, involving multiple partners in multiple locations, so once the concept was decided upon, we needed to get right to work preparing the artwork and lining up the specifications, processes and materials.

One of the most important (and fun) parts of creating any Quarterly Edition is naming it. Sometimes the name comes first and inspires the creative process. Other times the name emerges from the design. In rare cases the name is so obvious and appropriate that the working title never changes. This looked to be one of those cases.

Right from the start, we called this set the “Elemental” Edition. We loved the way that name referred to the physical properties of copper, silver, and gold without seeming luxe or fancy. The alliteration was nice too. We did our typical research to make sure the name was clear, and we forged ahead.

Months later, after the books were printed, foil-stamped, gilded, bound, and round-cornered, and ready to be stacked, belly-banded and shrink-wrapped, we stumbled upon a modest Kickstarter project created by couple in Portland using the name Elemental Paper Company, specifically involving the production of notebooks. Yipes! We aren’t sure how we missed it in our earlier search, but miss it we did.

We make the names of our Seasonal Releases work very hard for us. We use them everywhere, and so do our fans, partners, and customers. Edition names get posted and searched a lot and, naturally, they gather strength in search engine listings. That’s great for us but using that name would have stunk for Elemental Papers.

We knew we had to change the name, very quickly. Every piece of our marketing materials needed to be revised immediately. Thanks to our awesome printing partner, eDOC Communications, we were able to reprint 37,500 belly-bands in just a couple days and get what suddenly became the “Group Eleven” Edition out in time for Thanksgiving and holiday shopping.

It took very little time for us to fall completely in love with the new name. While it refers to the three elements positions in the Periodic Table, it’s also odd, enigmatic, and has just the right amount of nerdiness for Field Notes. But if you happen to notice the original name, “Elemental,” in the small type on the inside back covers of the books, now you know why.

Pick up a 3-Pack of the “Group Eleven” Edition, or better yet, start a year-long subscription and we’ll send you an “Elemental Equilateral 2020 Desk Calendar” free.

Also, take some time to check out Elemental Papers. It’s a very smart, cool project.