Discovering Baron Fig and CW Pencils (New York) last 2017 was like being sucked into a wormhole filled with beautiful notebooks and pencils. These guys introduced me to this world of paper-pencil lovers that feels right at home. I learned about pencils from all over the world, of different colors and brands, pencil grades and their differences that I promised myself a new set of higher-quality pencils on my birthday this year. I picked up a few notable pencil brands to go with my Pollux brass sharpener. After my last MUJI pen ran out, I decided to test run the Viarco Desenho 250 B pencil first. Viarco is a Portuguese pencil manufacturer founded in 1907 and the only one of its kind in the country. The pencil I chose is apparently a . . .

I discovered a couple of noteworthy brands last year, one of which is DesignHatch. It's a homegrown brand of desktop essentials, such as A5 and A6 notebooks, planners, desk pads, and to-do list pads. I got to sit down with DesignHatch founder Aislinn Kee where she shared her story and how DesignHatch was born. However, I never did take a look at the products themselves. This marks the first feature of a well-designed and Philippine-made brand. Smart and beautiful cover design Cover design is the first thing I pay attention to when shopping for notebooks. It certainly informed my buying decision when I was picking out my first set of DH notebooks. The cover designs are beautiful yet professional where the designs don't scream . . .