Moleskine Detour: Q&A with Ginette Caron

To take you even deeper into the creative process, Dwell has partnered with Moleskine on a weekly series featuring interviews with some of today’s most exciting designers from around the world that contributed to The Detour Book, including Rodrigo Almeida (Brazil), <a href="http://www.dwell.com/post/article/moleskine-detour-qa-gamfratesi">GamFratesi</a> (Copenhagen), and <a href="http://www.dwell.com/post/article/moleskine-detour-qa-scott-henderson">Scott Henderson</a> (United States). The series continues today with Italian graphic designer Ginette Caron.

When did you first discover Moleskine, and why is it special to you (if it is)?

I know Moleskine since it started. I designed all the micro typography inside the notebooks and city notebooks and all the goodies on the first pages like maps, conversion tables, calendars, planning, icons. Very interesting to design.

How do you use your Moleskine?

I use lots of them at the same time: the XS one (usually pink) in my wallet for frenetic ideas, thoughts that can't wait, notes, reminders or it can be dedicated to a short trip, a S one (the official version of the first XS one) in which I also sketch and glue or insert things, a L one which I use horizontally instead of vertically specially to take notes at conferences. I like the blank pages or else the grid ones. I also use the carnet for meetings with clients even though I dedicate a Moleskine for each big client. I love the City Notebooks where I put as many things as I want and I am always happy to use them again and again when I leave for a trip. I can't wait for the Shanghai City Notebook!

Tell us about your experience participating in the Detour book and the tour.

It was a honor for me to participate to the New York Detour edition. I chose the Japanese format and used it as a running diary sewing all sorts of tickets (train, theater, ski pass, exhibit, cinema…) On the reverse side my assistant Masami Moriyama illustrated the trip of a little girl walking and interacting with the sewings. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the exhibition in New York.

Do you prefer pen and paper or smartphone/tablet/tech?

Wooden pencil and back side of already used sheets of paper.

Who or what inspires you?

Some citations really enlighten me:

"From comes from wonder."—Louis Khan

"Il faut être léger comme l'oiseau et non comme la plume. (One should be light like a bird, not like a feather.)" —Paul Valéry

What's the coolest new design product you love?

I'll be very banal—smartphones even though I'm not an addict.

What are 5 things you cannot live without?

Tichi, my piece of forest in Canada, silence, hugging babies, beautiful memories.

If you could design in any other discipline, what would it be and why (i.e. if you are a painter, would you want to be a photographer)?

Fashion design. I really like to sew, look and feel tissues, buttons. Actually I've just designed the Moleskine girls/boys uniforms for the flagship stores worldwide (China and Italy for now).

What design has moved you the most?

The design of nature, its complexity, diversity and perfection: god exists.

Tell us about your latest/current project.

I really enjoyed working on the "Limited edition FEDRIGONI special papers sample book". I was completely free to decide how to show their series of 15 special papers (double sided, textured, glossy-matt, hologram…). First of all, I opted for an A4 folder because it's easy to keep on the shelves. I decided the colors and the sequence of the different papers and I folded each A4 sheet 3 times just like flat sculptures. Each time you turn the page you have a different kaleidoscopic effect of most of the samples.