It’s been a whirlwind of activity for Digi Pens since London Stationery Show back in May, with an invitation to join the National Handwriting Association the latest boost for business
When Richard Peel invented the Digi Pen back in 2017 he had no idea that something he had created for fun would be getting attention from the National Handwriting Association, and actually become a very useful product to help countless people experience the joys of writing.
“My daughter inspired me to create the Digi Pen when she asked me how to spell something, and as I can’t seem to spell in my head, I used my finger to trace the word out on the table and as I did it I thought wouldn’t it be amazing if you could write with your finger.” There and then Richard grabbed some blutac and cut down a cartridge and made the first Digi Pen in a few minutes!
Fast forward to 2024 and fresh from London Stationery Show, Richard has a lot of plates spinning. “I can’t believe the reception we got at the show this year. When we did the show in 2023, people were inquisitive about the product but some were confused by it as it wasn’t the standard traditional pen, but a year later plus loads of exposure, we had people who we’ve been trying to talk to for two or three years, coming up to us wanting to discuss stocking our pen. I’d say it definitely helped being finalists in two categories of London Stationery Awards including children’s stationery product, and novelty product of the year”.
The latest achievement for the company is the invitation to join the National Handwriting Association as a corporate member, joining the ranks with other names such as Edding, Stabilo, Staedtler and Hamelin. “I had a great chat with Sue Smits from the Association at the show and she loved the product and how it could really help children write as our pen helps children to position their fingers in a tripod position” says Richard. “We feel very honored to be asked to join the National Handwriting Association and help promote handwriting as a crucial part of literacy.”
The Digi Pen is a completely different type of pen that is worn on the user’s finger which gives almost direct contact with the writing surface and an amazing freedom to write and draw. “I wanted to recreate that feeling of freedom when writing on a misted-up window with your finger,” says Richard.
“It is great for children for progressing from a fist grip to the tripod grip. In fact, I had Christina Strang, the handwriting analyst, come up to me at the show to say how impressed she was with the Digi Pen and how useful it would be for children to teach them how to get into the tripod grip for easier and more flexible writing. I have even been asked to demonstrate and talk about Digi Pens to two large design and engineering universities, one in London and one in Switzerland,” he says.
Since the show, Richard is now supplying a number of the leading educational suppliers getting Digi Pens into UK schools. As well as this, he has begun supplying, and in discussions with, some very large retailers.
But it is not just children learning to write who benefit from the Digi Pen. Adults and children with gripping issues or hand disabilities can also benefit. “Our pens have helped numerous people with arthritis, carpal tunnel, Parkinsons, stroke survivors, dyspraxia, we even have a little girl that wears them on her toes as she has no use of her hands,” said Richard. “In the early days of Digi Pen I gave one to my Nan to see what she thought. She called me a few days later to tell me that she’d just done the crossword for the first time in five years, as until she had the Digi Pen she hadn’t been able to grip a pen well enough to write. That was probably the moment that I realised that the Digi Pen was more than just a fun product.”
The rest of 2024 looks just as busy for Digi Pen, with lots of leads to follow up on from the show, as well as potential sales into America. “I’m hoping I’ll get some time to do some design work as well, as I’ve got lots of ideas for new products,” says Richard. “I just can’t believe how well the pen has taken off. And to hear so many heartwarming stories about how our pen has helped so many people who previously had issues using or gripping a normal pen, really does make it all worthwhile.”
Top: Sue Smits from the National Handwriting Association with Richard Peel at London Stationery Show.
