The Field Notes Film Festival
How Draplin & Coudal turned sheets of paper into a cultural movement
Last night, I walked the few short blocks from my house to Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre to attend the inaugural Field Notes Film Festival: a charming, low-key, and surprisingly moving celebration of the quirky, romantic, and unexpectedly inspiring promotional videos that have accompanied Field Notes editions over the years. Or, as co-founder Jim Coudal put it, “I can’t believe we got you all to pay good money to come out and watch our ads.”
The evening was more than just a retrospective of branded content — it was a love letter to the creative process. A joyful gathering of people who obsess over things like mid-century typefaces, vintage printing presses, and the satisfying snap of a well-made notebook. It was a room full of people who get it. And as someone who’s spent most of his design career flying solo, it felt quietly meaningful to be surrounded by fellow travelers — the kind of folks who see the same beauty in proper kerning and Futura Bold as I do.
What Field Notes has built over the past decade is something rare. Yes, they make notebooks. But more than that, they’ve cultivated a culture — one that celebrates curiosity, reveres craft, and somehow makes you care deeply about things you didn’t even know could be cared about. Self-proclaimed “junker” Aaron Draplin doesn’t just talk about old things — he converts people. With unapologetic enthusiasm, he makes a case for every rusted tractor logo, every defunct hardware store sign, every dog-eared manual pulled from a barn sale. And damnit if he didn’t make me want to spend the rest of the week hunting for mid-century ephemera in a dusty corner of the Midwest.
By the end of the night, I wasn’t just entertained — I felt recharged. Reminded that design doesn’t have to chase trends or bend to algorithms. It can be personal. It can be obsessive. It can be weird and specific and full of heart. And maybe most importantly, it can bring people together — even if just for a night, in an old theater, watching ads that don’t feel like ads at all.
