As you can (hopefully) see, my name is Robert Harrison Prince, and this is my first post for IAR 221. Our first assignment is to "post an image of yourself along with a meaningful, well-designed object that tells something about you as a designer or an appreciator of design."
The object I decided to write about is my Moleskine pocket planner. It may not seem like much to some people, but to me this notebook is a life-saver. I got it back in early December, to help me keep organized and on top of all the stuff I have to do. Again, to some of you that might not be a big deal but I've always been something of a procrastinator, so it's important that I keep a detailed schedule. But enough backstory.
The reason I chose this object is because, to me, it symbolizes order and organization. It is first and foremost a weekly calendar, a tool that proves incredibly useful to someone as disorganized as I. It is small, easily carried in one's pocket. It is a simple shade of blue--no fancy patterns, no bright colors, nothing that grabs the attention of an onlooker. Just a dark shade of blue. Despite having only been in use since late December, it is well worn, with many of the pages having already been written on. It is well-constructed, sturdy, and reliable. It is, essentially, a physical representation of myself. I am organized, or at least trying very hard to be. I am on the smaller side, and do not stand out in a crowd. Despite being only nineteen years old I have a fair amount of life experience (that's what I get for having a father in the Air Force). And, last but certainly not least, I am reliable. Trustworthy. Always available to lend a helping hand.
This notebook and I are incredibly similar, but only to someone who knows me very well. To a total stranger, this notebook is something else entirely. It can be seen as a sign of weakness, I imagine. "He needs a notebook to help him stay organized?" someone might say to themselves. They might see the book as a crutch, as an extension of a disorganized mind. One might look at this notebook and wonder exactly how much I have to deal with on a daily basis that I feel the need to carry a planner with me at all times to manage it. Some might see it as a hindrance--it takes up an entire pocket, and a stranger might wonder if it is worth carrying around all day long. "Just use the calendar on your phone," one could say. "It would be much more efficient to do that than to use that thing." And they're probably right. But I'm old-fashioned that way.
And that is perhaps the most noticeable characteristic of this notebook--it is old-fashioned. Nowadays, everyone has their schedule with them on their phones or their laptops or their PDAs. And while I do have my schedule on my computer as well, my notebook is my primary resource for my schedule. This is highly unusual, and very "yesterday". People could have a hard time understanding why I feel the need to rely on such "old" technology. And I don't think I could even explain it to them. The notebook is just more suited for me. It fits me. It's much easier to use and faster and more reliable than anything I've come across. It simply works.
That is perhaps the most important reason I chose this planner as my object for this design autobiography: it works. It may be outdated, or old-fashioned, or even obsolete. But at the end of the day, when my phone and my computer are dead and I have no way to charge them, the book is there. When the Internet is down and I have no way of looking at my syllabi to see what I have going on in class this week, the book lets me know. It takes little effort to prepare and maintain, and that effort goes a long way. And, when it's all said and done, that's what the book and I truly have in common: we are both solid. No matter what happens, we are willing and able to get the job done.
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