Field Notes: Instagram Polls (Part 6 - Wilco)

I realized I have months worth of Instagram polls I have not recorded here in the blog, so bear with me as I play catch-up. :)

Here are the Instagram polls that I conducted in September with the Field Notes × Wilco edition.

Workshop Companion vs. Wilco

• Poll start date: September 6, 2019

• Total number of votes: 128

• Winner: Wilco (67%)

One of the special things about the Wilco edition is that it comes in a matching “Grout Gray” slipcase, so my mind immediately went to the other edition that came in a slipcase: Workshop Companion from Summer 2015. Slipcase vs. slipcase! (Interestingly, the box in Wilco does not have a notch while WC does). I had no predictions but my choice was Wilco because I love the colors in it and my feelings for WC have always been lukewarm. And Wilco won! :)

National Crop vs. Wilco

• Poll start date: September 13, 2019

• Total number of votes: 110

• Winner: National Crop (53%)

My next choice for the poll was the other quarterly edition that came as a box set: National Crop from Spring 2012. Clamshell box vs. Slipcase! I was hoping NC would give Wilco tougher competition because it was more popular than WC was, I think. So I was happy to see it win! I actually expected Wilco to win because NC is such an old edition by now but there it is. A close match but a victory nonetheless. My vote was for NC. Love the crop theme.

Capitol Hill vs. Wilco

• Poll start date: September 20, 2019

• Total number of votes: 104

• Winner: Wilco (68%)

The next contender I thought of that has a lot of different covers was Capitol Hill. It’s not from the quarterly series but I thought, why not. It’s a collaboration of sorts, like the Wilco edition is. 5-pack vs. 6-pack! I didn’t know what to expect because I wasn’t sure if people were familiar with this set that you could only get at Starbucks Reserve. I personally rooted for Wilco, even though I really like Capitol Hill and its polka dot covers. A decisive win for Wilco again.

Drink Local vs. Wilco

• Poll start date: September 27, 2019

• Total number of votes: 106

• Winner: Drink Local (54%)

Another close match like National Crop! Drink Local is a fan favorite so I expected it to give the newcomer a tougher time, and it did but not by much. I had a hard time choosing but I went with Wilco. I just prefer the illustrated, matte covers over the “soft touch” varnished covers.

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What are your thoughts on the results? Did your favorites win? As I’ve said in my previous posts, these results represent only a small percentage of Field Notes fans, people who follow me and happen to view my Instagram Stories at the right time, etc.

If you’d like to participate in my Field Notes polls, follow me on Instagram @threestaples and watch out for new Stories on Fridays. Each poll is open for 24 hours.

“Grout Gray” Field Notes

Here are some pictures of Field Notes that use French Paper Construction in Grout Gray and some differences among them that are noteworthy. There are three editions so far that I know of:

• Design Trilogy

• 2015 Tournament of Books (Rooster)

• Field Notes × Wilco

The Wilco edition was added to the FN online shop earlier this year (July 2019) and the other two are from 2015. Design Trilogy was part of a Kickstarter project by filmmaker Gary Hustwit, and the singles didn’t become publicly available online until, I believe, December 2017.

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When I first received the Wilco 6-pack, I didn’t realize this light, warm gray was not new to us until I read the specs on the back cover. I really liked this color in Design Trilogy, so it was a treat to see it again in Wilco with colorful illustrations.

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All three editions use the 100 lb. card stock version of Grout Gray but only the Wilco edition features the 60#T French Opaque Smooth paper for the innards. Design Trilogy and 2015 ToB use the 50#T version. Interestingly, these two are both dated January 2015 on the back cover and both have innards printed in Pantone Cool Gray 2. But all have different rulings: Wilco features dot-graph grid, Design Trilogy graph grid, and 2015 ToB ruled lines.

As for the color of the texts inside, Design Trilogy is printed in “Dachshund Nose” black (same as the regular Kraft), 2015 ToB in “Rooster Red”, and Wilco in an unnamed blue. I personally love how this blue looks on the gray (all 6 different covers in Wilco are printed with the same blue inside).

Lastly, only the Design Trilogy includes the standard “Practical Applications”, the same ones in the regular Kraft Field Notes. The 2015 ToB has book titles and authors instead, while Wilco lists the names of Wilco members and artists they collaborated with.

Which “Grout Gray” is your favorite? Would you want to see it again in a future edition?