Mark+Fold Solid Brass Archivists' Paperclips
The Paperclip. An item so ordinary that we all take it for granted. Its design is so effortlessly perfect that most of us use them without a second thought. Flawlessly functional, endlessly useful, we rarely pause to celebrate this small, ingenious object.
There’s a debate about who actually invented the humble paperclip (we recommend James Ward's Adventures in Stationery for a deep-dive into the topic). Intellectual property aside, this essential organisational tool is so important in our everyday lives — and although the finished product may not be glamorous, its engineered brilliance is almost invisible, instinctive even. It’s most definitely part of the ‘less is more’ approach, which is at the heart of everything we do at Mark+Fold. The paperclip does its job without drama, noise or complaint. Silently and seamlessly helping us all to stay neat and tidy.
At Mark+Fold, we like to acknowledge these tiny details; the ones that are often overlooked and sometimes trivialised, but, when added together, can give you the feeling that ‘today’s going to go well’. Through the choice of materials, and attention to the small details, an ordinary thing can become something very special. We have this sentiment in mind every time we sit down to design or refine any Mark+Fold product.
Limited edition jumbo paperclip by Carl Auböck for Mark+Fold
As a symbol of this feeling, we include a paperclip with every order we send out (and not just any paperclip of course). Ours are solid brass and won’t tarnish delicate papers over time — made with archivists and librarians in mind. When you open a Mark+Fold package, you’ll see that we use it to secure your receipt, but we know from your feedback that many of you hold onto them for future use.
We were moved by a recent anecdote from a customer: he gave some papers to a neighbour, fastened with a Mark+Fold brass paperclip. The elderly woman knocked on his door the next day to return it. Surprised, he asked “But why? It’s only a paperclip”. She replied, “Well, it seemed like a special one, so I thought you’d want it back.”
Wrapping customer orders at our London studio