Sunday Paper Co, a Manila-based stationery brand, was the first thing I searched for when I stepped into Common Room’s Rockwell branch two years ago. This was the year I started paying more attention to local brands like Sunday Paper that embodied good design and quality in their products. As a loyal fan of blank notebooks, I noticed and admired the black Simple Notebook right away. In fact, it was one of the very few items I took home with me on that trip. I use blank notebooks mainly for note-taking and creative writing, so I wanted to see what it felt like to do a good deal of writing on this one. The plain black card stock cover may seem too simple at first, but one can consider it as freedom to choose what it should be used . . .
The Viarco Desenho 250 – B Pencil
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 . . .
DesignHatch pocket notebooks: beautiful design, Philippine-made
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 . . .