Review from afar: O-Check Designs

I never thought when I moved from Melbourne to the UK that I would miss anything about the stationery culture of Melbourne. I genuinely thought that since I was moving to a country that sold fountain pens at the supermarket, that everything I was already accustomed to would be readily available to me in the UK as well.

I was wrong - some of the best and greatest loved stationery I can inexplicably only find traces of over here, or can find not at all, or with prohibitive shipping charges.

This is where the internet comes to save me.

One of my finest memories of the last few months of living in Melbourne is of coming out of the cafe at the National Gallery of Victoria, after having sought solace in Rothko and brownies from the tumult of a life I needed to escape from. Walking into the bookstore, I was confronted by a beautiful display of homely, old-fashioned, yet refined and inventive stationery. An old wooden desk was set up with a worn chair, and an array of the most inviting products I have ever seen (yes) were laid out across the display. About fifteen of us were crowding around handling the paper, looking at the stamps, opening the cases and playing with the pencils - our hands all over these new products, experiencing them. It was like a slice of another world.

Online, and on the other side of the world, O-Check Designs are not so easy to find. A few UK online retailers seem to sell a handful of items, but due to the vagaries of search functions (and the complete uselessness of some sites' attempts to have one) I just haven't found one that gives me what I want.

Enter NoteMaker - a site which some more enlightened pensters outside Australia are familiar with, but in my opinion, nowhere near enough.







The items that most caught my eye were the journals - in particular the travel journal made of scraps of beautiful recycled papers and interspersed with storage pockets, hardbound journals that look like vintage novels, and a notebook with an old library card pocket on the front. (Anyone else used to steal these from the back of library books? :) I loved them at age 7.)

The range includes amazingly thoughtful additions like adhesive corners to add pockets to the inside of your notebook; coordinated nametags, designer stickytape and even drawing-pins; deskware like coarse, beautiful twine and scissor sets... everything channeling a 1950s professor's office, with a hint of bohemia, and somehow managing to feel charming without feeling stuffy.

Practically, all of the items are made from biodegradable ink and glue, and many of my favourite products use a range of recycled and found papers. O-Check is a Korean brand so shipping miles are an issue... but the prices of the items are so incredibly reasonable, if price not carbon emissions is your main concern, it evens out well.

Sadly I have none of my O-Check collection with me in the UK. But using a huge array of fountain pens, ballpoints, and anything else that could made a mark on paper, I have never had a problem at all with them. No prohibitive feathering/showthrough/anything - the paper is great quality, and the construction of all the items I've tested has been brilliant, immaculate even.



I haven't tried the diaries and schedulers yet, which look like really practical as well as gorgeous designs... haven't tried the cahiers yet either... but when I win the lottery, those are next on the list. (Particularly the one with the squirrel on it!)

I miss these. Miss miss miss them. And knowing NoteMaker is out there to save me when I summon up the finances to order a bunch makes me feel a LOT better.

The word from O-Check from NoteMaker:

Korean-based O-Check Design Graphics is the creator of a thoughtful and ever-changing collection of stationery that weaves unique charm into its’ highly original designs.

O-Check is environmentally conscious, creating many of its products from recycled paper, natural fabrics, wood and soy ink.

The designers of O-Check are inspired by their travels, books, music, conversation and imagery, and work to capture the beauty of life and express it through charming and timeless stationery.

NoteMaker is the only Australian retailer to stock the full range of O-CHECK products.

About O-Check:

O-Check was established in 2000 in Seoul, Korea and quickly developed a reputation for stationery that is both beautiful and functional.

The name ‘O-Check’ is derived from the Korean word ‘gongcheck’ which translated literally means ‘a book with nothing inside’. Substituting a zero for the word ‘gong’ O-Check captured the essence of its notebooks which upon creation are empty, but come alive when filled with words, thoughts, feelings and drawings.

O-Check’s unique collection of stationery is constantly changing as new ideas and designs are brought to life.

Prices start from about $3.95 Aussie ... so about 2 quid or $3 US dollars. You'll find something you like and can afford. And your life will be improved. Really.

Notemaker's O-Check store. They ship worldwide. No excuses... not even for me!