The HalfLiner Scorebook combines the hipster cred of Field Notes and Muji notebooks with the OCD-friendly pastime of scoring baseball games. Bethany Heck created a template that makes score keeping easy, but also gives scorers the flexibility to add their own creative twists to the process. For those in the know, a few simple marks can capture dramatic events. These four markings capture the horror Boston Red Sox fans endured when Bill Buckner missed the easy out in the 1986 World Series. The HalfLiner Scorebook originated out of Heck's senior thesis at Auburn University where she created a brand identity for a wide variety of baseball related products. This Kickstarter project is actually Heck's second attempt. Her first booklet, pictured here, raised $27,002 in March of 2011. To date, she has sold over 3,000 copies of the original in her attempt to rekindle fan's passion for scorekeeping in the stands. The new version of the HalfLiner Scorebook was informed by lessons learned during the first Kickstarter campaign. Complicated die cuts, kiss cuts, and bindings were replaced with a sturdy and stylish cover, along with a simple coil binding.

The statistical revolution in baseball has changed the way the sport is played. Now, if graphic designer Bethany Heck has her way, it will revive the art of spectator score keeping as well. The practice of tracking games with a series of cryptic notations has existed since the 1870s, but with her designer-notepad HalfLiner Scorebook project, Heck hopes to make this geeky pastime more accessible to modern fans.

Heck's Scorebook's pages are filled with a grid of miniature diamonds that can be turned into a compelling account of a dramatic game with a few small marks. Any conceivable game scenario can be captured with a few numbers, letters, and well placed squiggles. For those new to the hobby, the book has an introductory section that explains what each of the rune-like marks means and with a little practice a note like "1XH(92)" will make perfect sense. (It's when a runner on first base is thrown out going home from the right fielder to the catcher).

Heck has also designed sections of the scorecard to track more narrative information, like the weather conditions and a place to mark the VIP of the game, or it's goat, depending on the outcome. Each book holds 81 templates, enough for half a season, and the thick chipboard cover ensures that the book will be a faithful companion at the ballpark.

The project started while Heck was still a design student at Auburn University (and a dedicated second baseman for the softball team). She decided to combine her love for sans-serif fonts and Sabermetrics to create a scorecard for the modern day as her senior project. Unlike most projects that are relegated to a portfolio after the final critique in class, Heck took her scorebook to Kickstarter and raised $27,002. Since March 2011 she's sold 3,000 copies, but is more excited about helping revive this old-timey pursuit than commercial success. "I've had so many people tell me that it was their first scorebook or that they taught their kids to keep score with it," she says. "When people who have one spot someone else with one they often end up interacting, which I love."

After selling out of the first edition, Heck got to work on a second version. Like a good GM she evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of her book and decided to take a Moneyball approach; She stripped out fancy, but expensive, design elements to better focus on the core scorekeeping fundamentals. "This one, in terms of production, was a breeze compared to the last book," she says. "The first book has foldouts and die cuts and back pockets and kiss cut stickers and folded reference cards. It's an engineering marvel. The Eiffel Tower has nothing on that scorebook."

She also looked to improve her product with a little coaching from the community at graphics site Dribbble and by consulting with other scorekeeping scribes. Designers urged her to remove extraneous details to make the main content bigger while scorekeeping stalwarts called out for more stat lines. "It's really fun to bounce ideas off other scorekeepers and grow the design with their help," she says, but also noted that when in doubt she left features out to give scribes more room to exercise their creativity. "There are some things people ask for that I've kept out. A lot of people like a dedicated area to tally balls and strikes, but I would rather leave the grid blank and give people the choice on how they want to utilize the space."

In addition to improving the scorebook, she also learned how to improve her stats on Kickstarter. Instead of scrambling to get the book ready by opening day, like she did with her first project, she gave her self a longer window coinciding with the All Star Break. Her pricing numbers were tighter leading to less waste and she also made the decision to focus more on the core product rather than merchandising. "I wanted the Kickstarter to succeed or fail based on the book, not the shirts, posters or anything else I created," she says.

Heck's future plans include an app that allows fans to bring scoring into the 21st century with photo annotations and the ability to record the National Anthem, but the core of the offering will still be connecting fans to the tradition of the game. Overall, she says she's happy with how it's all lining up. "It can be difficult to get people excited about such a niche thing, which is why I feel so blessed that people have responded to the book I've made."

Photos: Bethany Heck