Nevis Design Consultants gives Letts diaries upmarket feel

Diary brand Letts is looking to break into the ‘exclusive market’, with the creation of a new range of diaries by Nevis Design Consultants.

The Scotland-based consultancy was appointed by Letts in November 2007, without a pitch, to create an upmarket ladies’ diary. Graham Scott, creative director on the project, suggested that the scope be widened, so two luxury diaries were designed that would appeal to men and women alike.

The project has taken nine months to finish, following market research and product testing, and is now being printed in time for 2009, according to Scott. ‘It’s a targeted market – they’re looking at six retailers, including Selfridges and Harrods,’ he adds.

The new designs are inspired by those of John Letts, who invented the diary in 1812, combining a conventional calendar with a ship’s log book.

‘The Westminster is genuine leather and the Duchess has a steel catch,’ says Scott. ‘Both have good-quality paper,’ he adds.

Challenges were found in the gathering of information and the particulars of the design. ‘The fundamentals of how we could get the catch to work was a challenge, as was gathering global information, measurements, conversions and detail,’ explains Scott. The consultancy hopes to further develop its designs for the 2010 range.