Design for Mankind’s Erin Loechner keeps clean and contained spiral notebooks at the ready in her own home-office setup: a laptop, desk, and white Eames Aluminum Group Executive Chair combo.

It’s no surprise that notepads filling the desk of designer and illustrator Alexie Hiles contain the thinkings of an artistic mind.

Neat stacks of notebooks — including Field Notes, a Lifework favorite — await reminders and to-do lists from Rick VanderLeek, a Saugatuck, Michigan-based art director and graphic designer.

Loose-leaf paper notes and tracing paper play a part in typographer Nick Keppol’s Brooklyn home office  — a must-see space which includes, among others, a black Embody chair at the desk and an Eames Wire Base Low Table supporting the printer.

Confirmed doodler: designer and illustrator Katie Kirk, author of the children’s book “Eli, No!,” brain power behind Eight Hour Day, and owner of a pair of Eames Molded Plastic Chairs.

A collection of colorful sketchpads and notes helps keep the workflow flowing for Erin Jang, an art director and graphic designer who runs The Indigo Bunting out of her studio in New York City.

Industrial designer Joey Roth, a Los Angeles resident who frequently works in his backyard, knows that a single notebook can help him streamline his time outside. “When I can, I leave my laptop inside and take only a pen, notebook, and cup of tea or coffee with me,” he says. “The less I take, the more I tend to accomplish.”

Photos: Linked to their sources. Top photo: Carrie Strine and Tim Lahan

What do you listen to while you work? I listen to mellow music—stuff that might make most people fall asleep. But that’s the kind of music that gets me in the right creative headspace, where I can concentrate better, be less distracted and work more efficiently, and come up with ideas. It’s good mellow music though, not elevator music.

If I’m at a photo shoot though, I want to listen to loud, fun music—something that gets everyone in a good mood.

How do you listen? When I’m working from home, I play the music straight through my computer speakers which drives my husband mad because he’s a big music buff and we have a real speaker setup at home. When my husband and I are home together, we listen to a lot of vinyl records.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? I use Spotify. And I love Pitchfork TV. Any performance video from Cemetery Gates is amazing. I’m still thinking about the Bowerbirds video from a few years ago. Also, the Tiny Desk Concerts on NPR are great. I recently discovered Bill Frisell’s performance and have been playing the video over and over—it’s incredible.

Does music influence your work? Not directly. But I love Reid Miles and am inspired by old Blue Note covers. And I’m from Seattle, so I grew up loving Sub Pop, Flatstock at Bumbershoot, screen-printed rock posters. (I still dream about working for Sub Pop or Blue Note one day.)

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? I like discovering new artists on All Songs Considered on NPR, even though the banter on the show drives me nuts. My husband is really up on new music, so he buys records and plays a lot of good music at home. We’ve been married over five years, but he still makes me mixes like he did when we were friends in high school.

What song or artist best represents the work you create? I would love for my work to be colorful and fun (Peggy Lee jazz songs) but precise, smart, and timeless (Bach’s Goldberg Variations).

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist: An Eames molded plastic armchair with a rocker base in the sparrow color. I love taking little breaks from work during the day, to just sit and listen to music with Miles, my six month old.

ERIN’S PLAYLIST

1. Two Doves, Dirty Projectors
2. He Needs Me, Nina Simone
3. Bye Bye Blackbird, Peggy Lee
4. Naima, John Coltrane
5. Cucurrucucu Paloma, Caetano Veloso
6. Blues for a Hip King, Abdullah Ibrahim
7. Make My, The Roots
8. My Oldest Memory, Bowerbirds
9. Someone You’d Admire, Fleet Foxes
10. Re: Stacks, Bon Iver
11. Coracao Vagabundo, Joao Gilberto
12. Flamenco Sketches, Miles Davis

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Photos: Erin Jang