Note Cube "MM SQUARES" col. Slate Brigade

Jhane's Take on the Note Cubes

(updated after living with them a bit longer)

These are real sticky notes — and there are 700 of them. They actually stick properly, which isn’t always the case with note cubes. Some are really just stacked paper; these behave like proper sticky notes.

Originally I assumed the designs would wrap perfectly seamlessly, because all of my patterns are created in repeat. What I discovered later is that the printer truncates the edges slightly, so the patterns are not truly seamless around the cube.

The interesting part is that I now approach these designs differently. I’m working on versions where the edge interactionsare intentional, so that when the pattern is clipped, the visual logic still works. It’s a different kind of design constraint — not worse, just different — and it suits this object.

The printing on the four outward-facing sides is still my favorite part. Even without perfect repeat alignment, the cube feels like a tiny archive of pattern, which makes sense given that my software was originally built for textiles.

I don’t write by hand very much anymore, but I use a lot of sticky notes. I read somewhere that writing on paper helps lock memory into the brain, and that’s been true enough for me to keep doing it.

The cube measures 3.5” high × 3.37” wide, and it has enough presence to function as an object on a desk or shelf, not just a supply item. I like how it looks sitting out, even when it’s not being used.

They’re small, useful, and quietly visual — and I expect them to get even better now that I’m designing for how they’re actually produced, rather than how I assumed they would be.