<p>Trendspotting is one of my favorite parts of my job — and while I&#8217;ve been doing it a while, anyone with a set of eyes is an expert. If you are recurrently seeing an icon or color or pattern or style of lettering, it objectively exists and you are definitely spot-on. Meanwhile, behind the design curtain, a lot of larger stationery and gift companies generate trend reports, but these tend to be strictly internal and for staffers&#8217; eyes only. Many years ago, I toured a major greeting card manufacturer and discovered a page of my editorial from <a href="https://stationerytrends.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stationery Trends </a>pinned up in its endlessly cool trend room. Thrilled, I was just about to take a pic with my phone — ;but was asked not to, as it was technically proprietary to them. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.nandq.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Notes &; Queries (N&;Q)</a>, however, takes a vastly different approach. Since 1980, the Baltimore-based brand has imported high-end stationery and gifts from the European markets. When I see them at American markets, N&;Q offerings always stand apart due to both their upscale styling and international origins. </p>



<p>As Vanessa Harnik is both its Managing Director AND the daughter of its Founder Alan Harnik, she is officially a paper nerd born and bred! She told me that she creates and widely shares N&;Q trend reports so her clientele can better understand how their many SKUs from many different brands interrelate. After all, Notes &; Queries can be a difficult house of stationery to get one&#8217;s arms around, given that their Faire shop currently offers 2,0003 items for wholesale!</p>



<p>&#8220;We have been thinking a lot about, &#8216;How do we get buyers to expand their thinking/views of our line from what they are traditionally buying from N&;Q?'&#8221; Vanessa told me. &#8220;I think we all pigeon hole product lines to fill in certain gaps in the marketplace, so what happens when a line changes? So, these trend boards showcase ;how some publishers fit with other publishers, and often in unexpected ways!&#8221; ;</p>



<p>The eight fall boards I&#8217;ve shared here today definitely illuminate trends I&#8217;ve been seeing in the stationery and gift markets — but really wonderfully illustrate the enormous breadth through which they are presented and enjoyed. [Quick design note: the numbers and SKUs you see can be ignored; they help buyers and N&;Q staffers place the right card from the right range as they build each order.]</p>



<p>Vanessa&#8217;s favorites are Fruit, Enchanted ;Forest and The Great Outdoors — and of course Typography, as I&#8217;d expect from any self-respecting paper nerd! </p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-52722" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-52722 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="52722" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-10006139 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-favorites tag-buttons tag-calypso-cards tag-cards tag-design tag-greeting-cards tag-illustration tag-janie-velencia tag-magnets tag-mugs tag-national-stationery-show tag-nicky-burton tag-nss tag-ruth-bader-ginsburg tag-sarah-schwartz tag-seltzer tag-stationery tag-stationery-blog tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer tag-the-aclu-womens-rights-project tag-the-card-bureau tag-the-found tag-the-greeting-card-association tag-the-paper-chronicles tag-the-paper-fold tag-the-paper-nerd tag-thinking-of-you-week tag-tote-bags" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/rbgs-favorite-birthday-card/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=293%2C293&;ssl=1 293w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=254%2C254&;ssl=1 254w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=351%2C351&;ssl=1 351w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=546%2C546&;ssl=1 546w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=861%2C861&;ssl=1 861w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?resize=50%2C50&;ssl=1 50w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MUG-02H-1-scaled.jpeg?zoom=2&;resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/favorites/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Favorites</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/rbgs-favorite-birthday-card/">RBG&#8217;s Favorite Birthday Card</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2020-09-24T14:19:16+00:00">September 24, 2020</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10006139"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">1</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FRUITS-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019446" style="width:770px;height:auto"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GREATOUTDOORS-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019421"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ENCHANTEDFOREST-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019429"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TYPOGRAPHY-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019423"/></figure>



<p>And, here&#8217;s a few more that really jumped out at me. Which is YOUR favorite? </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CONFECTIONERIES-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019410"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PETPORTRAITS-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019414"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/COTTAGECORE-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019418"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/RESTRECHARGEREJUVENATE-1536x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10019415"/></figure>



<p>Honestly, they&#8217;re all magnificent and I have no favorite — ;mine tends to change as the wind blows. Thank you SO MUCH Vanessa and N&;Q&#8217;s super-efficient graphic designer Jessica, who got me all these images super-quick!</p>



<p>If you have a store and want to stock some of these, the best place to start your Notes &; Queries shop is <a href="https://www.faire.com/brand/b_41766991?refReqId=6q9bcp8858qhpyqad95zuy6fv&;refType=SUGGESTIONS_BRANDS" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Faire</a>. Also be sure to inquire about additional trend boards — there are actually five more to nerd out over! And, if you are a paper nerd in the wild who NEEDS one of the cards featured here, email Vanessa directly at vanessa@nandq.com to get the name of your local independent store.</p>