Dot Ruled development story
The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are beautiful...they clearly define what the notebooks are for.
- How did the development of "Dot Ruled" notebooks begin?
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Bungeishunju Co., Ltd. and writer Aya Ota noticed that the notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo were beautiful and were conducting research on them. Therefore, we conducted joint research with the aim of developing "the best notebook for studying" based on the note-taking methods of students admitted to the University of Tokyo.
- Did you make any discoveries during your research?
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Planning and development of “Dot Ruled” notebook
Yukitoki TabataThe students admitted to the University of Tokyo clearly defined the meaning behind taking notes: ``What are the notes for?'' ``What are notebooks for?'' In other words, notebooks that can be used to efficiently memorize things when reviewing what has been learned. And in order to achieve this, there was a ``rule to make a notebook look beautiful''. For example, ``aligning the beginnings of sentences'' and ``determining where to write according to content'', I realized that the beauty came not from mere formal beauty, but from the meaning it gave.
For more information, please see ``The notes of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful''!
Dotted borders support the ability to take beautiful notes.
- Are there any other necessary elements for a notebook other than the rules for making it look beautiful?
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In addition to text, notebooks can also be used to write figures and tables, and are also used for things other than writing, such as pasting prints on notebooks. Additionally, since the way people take notes varies greatly from person to person, and also from subject to subject, we realized that we needed a design that did not compromise the versatility of the standard horizontal ruled line.
- Is there a reason why you started paying attention to "dots"?
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As I continued my research, I made many discoveries, but that's when I started to worry. I was wondering how I could create a design that would support orderly note-taking like students admitted to the University of Tokyo, but would not get in the way. We compared the notes of the students admitted to the University of Tokyo with the notes of 100 high school students we had collected in the past, and desperately tried to think of ways we could improve the results. As a result of repeated research, I came up with ` Dot Ruled with small dots.
The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are beautiful...they clearly define what the notebooks are for.
- What is the point of the two types of cover designs?
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We paid particular attention to the cover design.
Lines are an element that is very difficult to convey to customers. Therefore, we thought about designing the lines inside the notebook across the entire cover so that its features would be clear at a glance. Furthermore, we paid particular attention to the color to differentiate it from the standard Campus Notebook.
On the other hand, we placed emphasis on the design of the ring notebook. We aimed to visualize the message of the collaboration with Ota's book, and finished the design with a motif of a Tokyo train map. If you look closely at the cover, you will see that the university Campus is marked, making it fun to just look at.
- A word about the thoughts you put into your notebook!
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Left: Campus Notebook Right: Ring notebook
“How can I learn effectively?” “How can I learn effectively?” I don't think there is anything better than finding your own way of taking notes. I'm sure this will be a great asset to you even after you become a member of society.
I hope that this Dot Ruled notebook will be of some use to you.
The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful.
At the same time as the release of Dot Ruled series, a book that follows the study methods of students who passed the University of Tokyo.
“The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful” is now on sale!
“The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful.” Bungeishunju
The author, Mr. Ota, has collected over 200 notebooks from high school students who have passed the entrance exam to the University of Tokyo, analyzed the commonalities, and discovered seven rules. A large number of University of Tokyo students' notes were published in full size to thoroughly dissect class note-taking techniques. This is a completely new reference book that introduces and explains the "note-taking techniques" of students admitted to the University of Tokyo by subject and gender.
The story behind the development of a notebook with Dot Ruled that makes it easier to realize the 7 rules is also published in collaboration with Bungeishunju.
- “The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful” now on sale!
- Special site “Why are the notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo so beautiful?” (Bungei Shunju)
Author introduction
Aya Ota
Freelance writer. After working as an editor for Shinkenzemi at Benesse Corporation, he became a freelance writer. Since then, he has been writing and giving lectures mainly in the field of education. His books include ``Notes of Tokyo University Admitted Students Are Always Beautiful'' (Bungei Shunju) and ``Parenting from a Cat's Eye: The Best in Academic Abilities and Physical Strength in Japan!'' The secrets of Fukui Prefecture's education'' (Shogakukan) and ``Notes taken by Tokyo University admitted students when they were elementary school students: 6 promises that will make you want to write notes'' (Kodansha).
It happened during an editorial meeting in the midst of producing "The Notebooks of Tokyo University Successful Students Are Sure to Be Beautiful." A veteran editor said, "In the sense that the paper is bound together, books and notebooks are made in the same way. Since we're making a book about notebooks, it'd be great if we could do something with a notebook company." The young editors and designers who were attending the meeting all agreed, saying, "Great! Great!" and got excited, saying, "In that case, it'd be great if we could make a notebook that lets you write beautiful notes like those of Tokyo University Successful Students." The conversation progressed from a fun fantasy at the time to an actual joint development project with KOKUYO.
After showing each other the results of their research on notebooks, holding several meetings, and speaking to students accepted into the University of Tokyo, the "Campus Dot Ruled Notebook" was born. I still vividly remember the excitement I felt when I first saw the "Dot Ruled Notebook." I honestly thought, "It's so easy to write in! Why haven't there been notebooks like this before?", and I felt like I could write beautiful, organized notes like the students of the University of Tokyo!
If you're having trouble organizing your notes, we recommend this "Dot Ruled notebook." If so, be sure to check out the "Tokyo University Notebook" series, such as "The Notebooks of Tokyo University Entrants Are Always Beautiful!"
"Tokyo University Notes" series
“The notebooks of students admitted to the University of Tokyo are always beautiful” (Bungei Shunju, 2008)
How can I write notes that are as beautiful as the University of Tokyo students and also improve my grades? It is packed with the basics of how to write notes.
“The secret “competition notes” of successful applicants to the University of Tokyo” (Bungei Shunju, 2015)
We researched and summarized how the ultimate "game notebook" that University of Tokyo students brought with them on the day of their entrance exams was created.
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