Why a Leather Cover Makes a Brilliant Gift for a Colleague or Client

September 30, 2026

Buying for colleagues and clients can be tricky. Whether it's a secret santa for someone you hardly know, or a heartfelt leaving gift for someone you've closely with for a decade, there are certain unspoken rules about what's appropriate for a work gift. And the stakes are much higher than buying gifts for friends — get it right, and your parting colleague turns into a valuable business contact further down the line. Get it wrong, and risk offending someone you have to work with on your next big project. Add to that the pressure of these gifts often being handed over in front of an audience of colleagues, and you really want to get it right! The same goes for client gifts, where it's really a branding exercise come new business proposal: what impression to you want to give them of who you are, and how much do you want to flatter them into coming to you with their next brief. Etiquette advice is fairly consistent on one point: a gift needn't be expensive, but it should be thoughtful, showing that you have paid attention to the recipient rather than simply spent money. Harvard Business Review's guidance on gifts at work makes a similar case, that giving needn't cause stress or break the bank, and it advises particular care with food and alcohol, which can miss the mark. Long-established custom also holds that gifts in a workplace flow downward rather than upward, and that anything intended for the body, such as perfume, clothing or jewellery, is too personal for colleagues. Where a gift to a superior does seem necessary, a modest price point avoids any suggestion of seeking special treatment. Martha Stewart offers a simpler test than any rulebook: a present is a good one if you would be tempted to keep it for yourself. The best professional gifts, then, tend to be useful, well-made and clearly chosen for the person receiving them. A leather cover for a notebook or diary is one of them. It suits the kind of person who values good tools, which describes most of those we are likely to be thanking. And if it's high quality and beautifully made, then it's a real compliment to the recipient that you thought this would be a fitting gift for them. Of course, a hand-made leather cover is a generous gift, so it might be overkill in certain situations. But when you really want to impress and flatter someone, it's the kind of gift that will really show how much you value the relationship, and admire their personal style. An object that earns its place For many professionals, handwriting has outlasted every predicted replacement. Solicitors take attendance notes, journalists fill reporter's notebooks and architects sketch alongside their calculations. Writing by hand is slower than typing, and for many people that is its value: it encourages selection over transcription, and it involves no notifications. A well-made cover gives that habit a fitting setting. It is a small upgrade to something the recipient already does every day, so it is more likely to be used than admired once and shelved. The person who gave it is remembered each time it comes out of the bag. Leather improves with use Most gifts are at their best on the day they arrive. Leather works the other way. With handling it softens, darkens and takes on a patina particular to its owner, so a cover carried for several years looks better than a new one. This matters in a working relationship, where the aim is something that rewards long acquaintance. Refillable by design A cover differs from a leather-bound notebook in one important respect. When the last page of a bound book is filled, the object is finished. A cover is designed to be refilled: the used notebook is archived and a fresh one slots in. The gift stays in use for years, and it replaces the drawer of conference giveaways with a single durable object. Mark+Fold: made in England Mark+Fold, the London-based stationery company founded in 2015 by Amy Cooper-Wright, is known for layflat, thread-sewn notebooks and diaries. Its Leather Covers are hand-made in Walsall, England, and are designed to be used repeatedly with a fresh notebook or diary refill. They are made in collaboration with Doe Leather. They are offered in Avocado green and a warm Brown, at £230. A Leather Cover + Notebook Bundle at £270 provides a complete gift, ready to use on the day. As the year turns, there is also a 2027 Diary + Leather Cover Set. Provenance is part of the appeal. Mark+Fold documents the full chain of production openly, from printing in Aberdeen to thread-sewing in Suffolk. For a gift, this gives the giver something specific and truthful to say about where it came from and who made it. For larger orders, the company has pages devoted to corporate gifting and customisation, and current options are best confirmed with the company directly. Alternatives worth considering A leather cover is not the only sound choice, and the right gift depends on the recipient. Smythson. The London house has long made leather-bound notebooks and diaries. It sits at the more formal end of the market, and its distinctive colours are recognised at once, which suits a senior client or a significant occasion. Ettinger. Another British maker, known for wallets, card cases and small accessories, often finished with contrasting linings. A card case is a sensible choice where you are unsure whether the recipient still carries a notebook. Bellroy. The Australian company makes slim leather wallets, card holders and tech organisers. These are practical, understated gifts for colleagues who travel or commute. A leather desk mat or pen case. These suit the person who already has the essentials and would appreciate a better working surface, whether in an office or at home. Each is a good gift in its own right. What distinguishes a notebook cover is its connection to a habit that the recipient already has and values. Choosing well Scale the gift to the relationship. For a departing colleague or a colleague marking a promotion, a cover in the £200 range is generous without being ostentatious. For a client, a cover supplied with a notebook is a more complete gesture. For a wider group, a smaller leather item or a customised option may suit the budget better. Favour restrained colours. Brown, tan, black and navy suit almost anyone. A deeper colour such as a dark green suggests that you know the recipient's taste. Check the format. Notebook covers are made for particular sizes. A5 suits most desks and bags, while a smaller format is easier to carry. It is worth knowing which the recipient uses. Add a handwritten note. A brief card, or a line written on the first page of the notebook, makes the gift feel considered rather than purchased. Order early. Hand-made work takes time, and the weeks before the year-end are busy for everyone. In short A leather cover is not the most conspicuous gift, and that is its virtue. It is useful and durable, and it shows that some thought went into how the recipient works. If you would like a British-made place to start, Mark+Fold's hand-made covers are available at markandfold.com. Whichever maker you choose, a good cover is likely to be in use long after other gifts from the same season are forgotten.

London Design Festival 2026 Highlights

September 15, 2026

We're excited to be part of London Design Festival 2026, with our Soho Pop-up in the heart of the new Soho Design District, alongside Artemide Lighting and the iconic Heal's furniture store on Tottenham Court Road. This September, Mark+Fold is bringing a stationery pop-up to Soho for the Festival's newest district — nine days of paper, print and the small rituals of putting pen to page, right in the middle of one of the city's most colourful design neighbourhoods.  Of course, LDF is a city-wide affair, so once you've stopped by our pop-up, here's our round-up of the other highlights well worth building a route around this year. LDF Soho Highlights Artemide Lighting Shop Italian lighting brand Artemide has timed the reopening of its refurbished London showroom to coincide with the Festival, and it's worth the detour to Bloomsbury. Spread across two floors on Great Russell Street, supported by David Village Lighting, the space has been reimagined around the idea of light as an active architectural element — something that shapes perception and transforms a room, rather than simply illuminating it. The new setting takes in Artemide's full range across residential, professional, indoor and outdoor applications, from icons like the Tolomeo to newer additions to the catalogue. It's a quieter kind of LDF highlight than a landmark installation, but a good reminder that some of the Festival's best moments happen in permanent showrooms rather than temporary ones. When: Open throughout LDF week, 12–20 September 2026 Where: 106 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NB More info: bigfurnituregroup.com — Artemide reopens London showroom Future Icons at Heal's The designs that could define the next 20 years. What makes a design an icon? For London Design Festival, Heal’s looks to the future with Future Icons, a curated exhibition exploring the pieces we believe have the potential to become tomorrow’s modern classics. Across our Tottenham Court Road flagship, discover a selection of furniture and lighting chosen for their innovation, distinctive character and enduring appeal. Each piece offers a glimpse into the designs we believe could stand the test of time and become defining icons for the next generation. Visit Future Icons from 12–20 September and discover the pieces shaping the future of design. Mark+Fold Pop-up Shop Mark+Fold goes 'back to school' in Soho with first London-made pencil cases and a Japan-Inspired 2027 Collection, in this rare opportunity to shop the British brand's beautifully-crafted paper goods in person during London Design Festival. The pop-up also sees the launch of a new collection of London-made Mark+Fold Pencil Cases and A5 Pouches, as well as the Japan-inspired 2027 Diary and Planner Collection. When: 4-20 September, Open daily 11-7 (Sunday 12-5) Where: 33 Great Windmill Street, London W1D More info: https://londondesignfestival.com/activities/mark-fold-back-to-school-stationery-pop-up LDF Citywide Highlights V&A x LDF26: Awakenings The V&A remains the Festival's spiritual home, and its 2026 programme, Awakenings, is one of the most talked-about strands of the whole event. Co-curated by Carrie Chan and Kristian Volsing, the show maps a journey through the museum's galleries exploring how design, craft and technology can spark new perspectives and bring invisible, interconnected forces into view. The line-up brings together Henry Svendsen, Sam Ghantous, Andre Williams, Nina Davies and Albert Yonathan Setyawan alongside major new commissions: Aziza Kadyri's Sender Unknown, which pairs Uzbek suzani embroidery techniques with a bespoke AI model, and Eunjo Lee's Digital Molting, inspired by the V&A's Buddhist art collection and partly 3D-printed from recycled clay. This year's Emerging Design Commission winner, Playfool, presents a game reflecting on human labour in the age of AI. Together the works trace a thread from the joyful to the unsettling, and it's the kind of show that rewards slowing down rather than rushing through. When: 12–20 September 2026 (some works run to 18 October) Where: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL More info: londondesignfestival.com/partners/victoria-albert-museum Wood for the Trees Organised by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) Europe with British studios Mitre & Mondays and Benchmark, Wood for the Trees looks past timber as a finished material to the forest it came from. Structured around six stages — Growth, Stewardship, Selection, Resilience, Timber and Design — the exhibition draws on AHEC's feature-length documentary Forested Future and asks what responsible forest management could mean for the future of UK design, at a moment when roughly 90% of the hardwood used in Britain is imported. It first showed in Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign, and arrives in London in an expanded form, with a programme of talks, workshops and live musical performances running alongside it. For anyone who cares where their materials come from, and not just what they look like once they're finished, this is a genuinely thoughtful addition to Shoreditch Design Week. When: 15–20 September 2026 Where: Tab Centre, 3 Godfrey Place, London E2 7NT More info: dezeen.com/eventsguide — Wood for the Trees The Point of Unity and Soul, St Paul's Cathedral One of this year's two official Landmark Projects, and arguably the most moving thing on the programme. Ukrainian lighting designer Mykola Kabluka, founder of Kyiv-based studio Expolight, brings two works to St Paul's churchyard: Soul, an audiovisual installation projected onto the Cathedral's west front each evening, and The Point of Unity, a freestanding sculpture of mirrors and 3,500 fibre-optic points making its UK debut after appearing at Burning Man in 2025. Made by an artist working from a country at war, neither piece depicts conflict directly — instead they sit with quieter questions about holding onto an inner light through dark times, and how hope becomes action. Placing that inside a building built for gathering and reflection is a smart, and quietly powerful, piece of curation. Free guided artist tours are also scheduled over the opening weekend. When: Soul, evenings from 14–27 September; The Point of Unity, daytime from 16–26 September Where: St Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD More info: londondesignfestival.com/activities/the-point-of-unity-and-soul The Art of Sound, Wapping Hydraulic Power Station Getting a huge amount of praise from design writers this year, and for good reason: this is the first time in thirteen years that Wapping Hydraulic Power Station has opened its doors to the public. Built in 1890 and now under the custodianship of the Glass Castle Foundation, the Grade II*-listed building provides an extraordinary backdrop for The Art of Sound, an immersive spatial audio experience powered by L-Acoustics. Multi-disciplinary artist Max Cooper presents Feeling is Structure, a twenty-minute piece originally developed for a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside field-recording artist Chris Watson's Trent Falls, which traces the Humber estuary from bridge to open sea through sound alone. It's free, it's unticketed, and several reviewers have called it one of the best free things to do at the Festival full stop — a rare chance to get inside a genuinely remarkable piece of Victorian industrial London. When: 12–20 September 2026 Where: Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, London More info: londondesignfestival.com/activities/the-art-of-sound-featuring-max-cooper-chris-watson That's our pick of the Festival — but with over 300 events across 11 Design Districts, there's plenty more to discover. If you're heading to Soho for the Festival, come and find us — we'd love to show you what we've been working on.