Physical calendars might not be quite the staple product they once were, but they're still pretty handy to have on hand to help visualise and plan the year ahead. We thought we'd probably seen just about every form they could take, but one startup has come up with a 2024 calendar design that aims to make us see the year differently.
Iota Inc has designed what it calls the Minimalist's Wall Calendar with the intention of making 2024 "feel like a breath of fresh air". Instead of dividing the year into 12 months of just over four weeks each, Iota has opted for an refreshingly simple approach that serves as a reminder of just how short a year is (for more clever presentations of data, see our pick of the best infographics).
The Minimalist's Wall Calendar has no flip pages. instead, it fits the entire 366 days of the year (2024 will be a leap year) on one 24 x 36in side of 80lb paper. The days of the year are presented in rows, with each row covering two weeks. The first day of each month is underlined to make it easier to find, but the months aren't separated from each other, so there's none of those empty spaces that you often get on a calendar design.
"Seeing the entire year ahead of you is a bit motivating in that it doesn't look like that much time, and so, as a result, you end up, you know, moving a bit, the calendar's designer says in the video presentation above. But the result much sleeker in its design than the traditional year planner. This is a calendar designed to be framed.
"Plan vacations, birthdays, or anniversaries. Make a colored Gantt chart. Start bullet journaling. Count the days as they pass. This calendar provides just enough structure without getting in the way. The funny thing is, it looks so nice, that you might just want to leave it alone," Iota Inc says.
The Minimalist calendar in its element (Image credit: Iota Inc)
The calendar was designed in Cambridge, US, and is printed in San Francisco.A limited number of early bird copies of the Minimalist's Wall Calendar can be ordered via Kickstarter for $49.
Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
