SCRIBO - Scrittura Bolognese

The often quoted phrase: "when one door closes another opens" sometimes sounds trite, but here is a case where it is very true. As OMAS, the iconic Italian pen company closed, a new company emerged - Scrittura Bolognese, or SCRIBO.

I am fortunte to have the opportunity to have meet with the Co-Founders of SCRIBO in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Luca is dynamic and talked with enthusiasm about SCRIBO, the current pens and the pens they are planning to release. I was impressed. Luca is not a "dry numbers-based CEO", he is a person with a passion for fountain pens and the role they play in our communicatiions.

Leana, Co-Founder and CFO if also far from a "numbers" person. She is involved in all aspects of the company has has a strong passion to writing instruments, inks and pens. Oh they know numbers, and have created a viable company, but it is the passion for their business that stands out.

Flaminia, the Designer for SCRIBO brings her expertise from the jewelry and pen industry. She also worked with OMAS. I enjoyed my conversations with Flaminia about her values and vision in design. She shared some concept drawings of future lines of pens. I like what I saw and look forward to pens coming to market. She talked about the design of the final pen of being a process of subtraction. That is, eliminate the unnecessary to arrive at a design with the essential elements to the final product. As a photographer, that approach is similar to photography composition. Often the challenge is to eliminate what is not needed in a scene, eliminate what does not support the message the photograph is to communicate.

In all my discussions the attention to detail clearly comes across. SCRIBO has a passion for pens and an appreciation for the important role pens play in our communications.

In my early meetings, Luca explained the thoughts that led to SCRIBO being started. Now, a well established company, he talks about staying true to their values. He talked about the growth of the company in very thoughtful terms. He wants to maintain the product standards that have already been established. It was refreshing to hear that his goal was not to make SCRIBO a "big" company. For him, it is not just about increasing the number of pens produced, or the number of stores that carry the pen. He likes the idea of SCRIBO being a company known for the quality of their pens, not the quantity of pens produced. He explained some of the ideas they are working for in the future, but there was no sense of pressure as to how fast to get there, rather it was to continue with their careful approach to produce pens that support the experience of writing.

In 2021 when we met I had the opportunity to look at the prototypes of pens to be leased that year and early next. SCRIBO works on a general timeline of one year to go from design to production. But they also work across a multi-year schedule involving the design of new lines.

SCRIBO initially produced private label pens. The next venture involved creating SCRIBO’s first Limited and Special Edition Pens. Then SCRIBO worked to develop and produce its flagship regular production pen for the company - The Feel. The Feel was expanded to included limited production runs of Feel pens with a specific theme. These pens are limited to a production of 219 for each colour. Typically the limited production pens sell out rather quickly.

The Feel fountain pens produced are shown on the company's website. Feel pens that I own are found in the Pens of Note section of this website.

 

PIUMA

In May 2021 SCRIBO issued a new line, the Piuma. The pen is designed to be lighter in weight than the Feel.

The pen has an oval shape with two facets. The cap and barrel of the pen are handmade from natural resin. When visiting SCRIBO I was able to hold the body and cap to get a sense of the size of the pen. It is not a pen that I have written with so I can't comment on writing experience. I can say the pen did not feel as differentt in size that I originally though.

In comparison to the Feel, this lighter Piuma ranks as follows:

Size Comparison Piuma and Feel
  PIUMA FEEL
Length 144.5 mm 148 mm
Diameter (maximum) 15.6 mm 17 mm

The Piuma uses a cartridge/converter ink filling mechanism, while the Feel used a 1.4 ml piston.

As with the Feel line, each colour is limited to 219 pieces.

 

LA DOTTA

La Dotta ai Gardini

In November 2021 SCRIBO a new line, La Dotta.

This pen is similar in size and shape to the Feel except the body is round with no facets. This creates a very smooth shape when the pen is held in the hand. I had the opportunity to write with the La Dotta when I visited SCRIBO in November 2021. I must say I liked the feel of the pen in my hand. It was a pleasure to write with the pen that I used to make notes as we talked. While the pen is substantially the same size as the Feel, the diameter has a maximum width just a a bit smalled, at 16.75 mm. You will not notice the difference. As with the Feel, the pen uses a 1.42 ml piston fill mechanism.

This pen gives the user a slightly different experience in in the hand, due to the round shape with no facets. The first two models are green tones, the ai Giardini having a beautiful pattern of green and white resin; and the ai Colli having a green and mother-of-pearl tones. The pens a beautiful.

 

SCRIBO INK

For SCRIBO, it is about the writing experience. The company also has also a line of inks. The ink comes in a stunning glass ink pot. The large ink bottle sits on your desk looking like a classic glass ink well. This is just one more aspect of SCRIBO that sets the company apart from others. I have found the ink to have excellent performance. More information in Inks.

 

SCRIBO PAPER

SCRIBO is looking at the experience of writing from different approaches. Of course there is the pen, the need for a quality ink and the experience of writing on fine quality paper. The next aspect that work is underway is to review paper operations to ensure that a good quality paper is available.

 

 

 

SCRIBO – Scrittura Bolognese S.r.l.
studio Via Frassinago 18/2
40123 Bologna – Italy
+39 051 0474806+

web site

ciao@scritturabolognese.com

Luca Baglione

Luca Baglione, CEO, Co-Founder, Scrittura Bolognese, SCRIBO

Faminia, Designer

Flaminia, Design, Scrittura Bolognese, SCRIBO

SCRIBO Feel Blue Grey

SCRIBO, Feel, Blue-Grey

 

 

 

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