FIELD NOTES THE CHICAGO LOOK 2-PACK

About this product

Field Notes' 66th Quarterly Limited Edition for the Spring of 2025 is 'The Chicago Look,' Edition which explores a chapter of American design and typographic history through the lens of a single, highly influential – and sadly now-defunct – enterprise.

The Beverly Sign Co. put Chicago at the center of the mid-century sign-painting map with its 'panelized' compositions, novel typographic treatments, and bold colors. This style came to be known as 'The Chicago Look.'

Chicago’s own Heart & Bone Signs, with collaborator Bob Behounek, have created two covers in the style of Beverly’s pencil sketches, featuring the original mock-ups’ distinctive diagonal 'strike-thru' indicating the colors of the signs to the clients and the sign-painters (known as 'Wall Dogs').

These note books are a new size; a handy 6' × 8.' The 64 pages are graph-ruled in 'Non-Repro Blue,' a particular shade that is still used in the graphic arts industry to be easily removed from photostats or scans of black-and-white artwork. As usual, the inside covers are full of historical information, illustrations, and wise-cracking.

Cover art by Heart & Bone Signs, Chicago, Ill. (chicagosignpainters.com) in collaboration with Bob Behounek.

Printed by the good people of The Graphic Arts Studio, LLC, Barrington, Ill.

Cover: Westrock Tango C1S 16pt 'White,' with a thick, brute force 4-color application of process-color soy-based Superior inks.

Innards: Domtar Lynx Opaque 60#T 'White,' with a fine, 1-color application of 'Non-Repro Blue' soy-based Superior ink.

Cover and innards printed on a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102S six-color printing press.

Bound with a Muller Martini 6-pocket saddle stitcher with cover feeder/scorer.

Corners precisely rounded to a 3/8' (9.5mm) radius with a Challenge DCM double round-corner machine.

Graph grid: 3/16' × 3/16' (4.7mm × 4.7mm).