WORKING HANDS: Neil Doshi

As a stationery brand, we are always curious how and what people use our stationery goods for. With this blog series, focusing on the hands at "work" and beyond, we ask five questions about the usage and meaning of the stationery tools to our friends in Los Angeles.

For our eleventh post, we visited a LA based graphic designer, Neil Doshi at his studio in Glassel Park neighborhood.

Sculptural still life on a terracotta plinth: a rough brown rock, pale stone, ribbed vessel and small oval form against

Q1. What do you do with the items from Hightide - you have the Carlo Mini clock, the Pasta marker and the Oni paper clips?

The clock is a new development. I don’t like to be constantly reminded of what time it is but also like being on time. The Carlo clock is such a nice desk clock; it's silent and I like the shape and color of its hands. I’m going to keep it out of my field of vision but within view, so I can glance at it to check the time.

A hand holding a round grey-blue desk clock above a light table, beside a woven basket of lemons and oranges.

Grey-rimmed wall clock resting on a blue New Mexico Geological Society 1996 book on a wooden shelf.

I’m a sucker for any object that is instantly familiar but exaggerated in some way. So, I really appreciate how oversized and colorful the paper clips are. I might even wear one as a brooch.

Similarly, in the spirit of the paper clips, I like how the pasta marker makes such a nice chunky, charcoal-y mark. I’m looking forward to using it for drawing and writing letters.

Neil's design print-outs complied with the Oni clip in size M, red.

Q2. In our technology-driven world, what does writing by hand mean to you?

I've gotten in the habit of writing out a plan at the start of each week, including tasks and notes for each day. I take a letter-sized sheet of paper and fold it in half, creating four quadrants on each side. It's always right there on my desk, ready for me to glance at or absentmindedly doodle on. The whole process is very satisfying - taking a moment at the start of the day to write things down, drawing in the margins, and then crumpling it all up and throwing it in the trash at the end of the week.

Hand writing weekday labels in marker on a large sheet of white paper laid on a pale wood surface.

Handwritten weekly memo on folded white paper with day labels in black marker and violet pencil, pencil beside it.
Neil's weekly memo written with the PASTA Drawing + Graphic marker in black and the Dermatograph Soft Colored Pencil in violet.

Q3. Pencils or Mechanical Pencils?

Both! I prefer a chunkier 0.7mm mechanical pencil. I don't use a regular pencil as much in my daily routine, but I really appreciate a good carpenter pencil.

Hands holding a zine titled "Desert Research Library, Cohort Collections Zine 2021-22" over a wooden table.

Hands holding open a book with purple printed pages on a wooden table, marked by a large blue Oni clip.
Desert Research Library publication with the Oni clip in size S, blue.

White table clock on a slim stand on a wooden desk, beside a Caps Lock book and a pink-covered book.

Q4. What’s in your pen case? How do you carry your pens?

I have a Hightide pen tray that I keep on my desk for the pens I don't want to lose - these usually stay close by. It contains a few brush and felt-tip pens, mini steel precision rulers, and grease pencils.

As for everything else, they stick out of my pocket, bounce around in my bag, and inevitably end up drifting away, out of my possession.

Blue speckled Storage Caddy holding an assortment of pens, pencils and a notebook on a pale wooden desk.

Q5. What is your most favorite stationery?

At the moment, my favorite stationery item is a large stack of letter-sized recycled newsprint sheets. They feel both un-precious and soft, yet luscious at the same time. I use them for writing notes and occasionally for sketching and drawing.

Hands at a light wood desk, one holding a slim white pen over paper, beside a bowl of citrus.