The sticky note has outlasted every productivity trend that was supposed to replace it, and there’s a reason for that. Writing something down by hand, right when it occurs to you, is still the fastest way to keep an idea from slipping away. Digital apps, meanwhile, have the opposite problem: the moment you unlock your phone to jot something down, you’re one notification away from forgetting why you opened it.
New Things Lab, a design studio from the Netherlands, built a direct answer to that problem. The MEMO Whiteboard Wallet is a precision-machined aluminum card holder with a dry-erase surface built directly into its face, giving you a pocket-sized board that’s always ready when a thought strikes. The concept earned quite a following from people who immediately understood what it was for.
Designer:
The whiteboard spans 6 inches diagonally, just over A7 in size, and it’s coated with a smooth, heat-cured paint that cleans up without ghosting. It’s large enough to be genuinely useful but slim enough not to add awkward bulk. On a given day, you might use it to jot down a measurement, scribble a password for a guest, or keep a short list of things you’d otherwise forget by lunch.
Writing on the surface is handled by an included 0.8mm fine-point pen that stores in a dedicated slot built right into the wallet’s frame, so it’s always within reach when you need it. Flip the pen around, and there’s an eraser on the other end, making the MEMO genuinely self-contained. You’re not hunting for something to wipe the board with, and there’s no spare piece you’d misplace in a bag.
On the other side of the MEMO is the actual card-carrying section, with room for up to six standard cards and a magnetic closure that keeps everything neatly shut. The body is milled from 6063 aluminum, giving it a solid, premium feel without adding unnecessary weight or thickness. That same metal shell also blocks RFID signals, protecting your card data from electronic skimming without needing any additional sleeve or pouch.
The MEMO comes in Charcoal Black, Slate Gray, and Gilded Rose as the standard colorways, with Revision Red and Airmail Blue available as limited editions. All five options lean toward the restrained end of the color spectrum, which suits the product well. There’s also an environmental case to be made here. Every note wiped from the MEMO’s surface is a sticky note that didn’t find its way into the trash, and those savings do compound over time.
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