KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2014

Comments by the judges

I can really sense the scale and aspiration behind these high-quality scissors, made entirely from a uniform, clear material. The design reminiscent of a droplet of water was a particular pleasant surprise.

Every submission was an excellent imagining of this year’s Awards concept. Among them all,
I found the idea to improve the quality of the materials used in traditional scissors by replacing them with clear ceramics to be truly outstanding. This design was absolutely worthy as of the Grand Prix award.

I believe that the best tools are a natural extension of the human body. While this might be taking it a bit too far, it would be interesting to see scissors that are actually part of the hand. I think this design for scissors is very close to realizing this idea. There's something to the idea of describing the scissors as “see-through” rather than transparent.

The prototype for this submission was very polished, conveying how nice the product will feel in the hand. The transparency of the material communicates both a stand-offish coolness as well as a translucency that begins to feel like a part of the body. I believe it was this latter factor that most influenced the judges. The design reflects nothing more than the pure function of cutting. I look forward to the potential of this as-yet unseen transparent ceramic, created through a type of sintering process.

Kokuyo already produces a number of different scissors that are popular on the market. Hit products include a model that can withstand cutting packing tape more than 100,000 times before dulling. Even so, we were impressed with this new concept in scissors. And while we recognize that this is an innovative concept, we are concerned as to whether this can be actually produced. However, the designer included a proposal for a new type of material, which really ignited our excitement. I think this design presents a challenge worth pursuing.

Drawing a line using a round, rotating ruler is just plain fun. I think the ability to draw a line without limits or measures is a completely unique approach.

According to Tadataka Ino, who created the map of Japan, the outline of the Japanese archipelago is almost the same distance as the circumference of the planet. And, perhaps the invention of the unit of distance called the meter is a reflection of our innate desire to measure this world. A ruler has a beginning and end, but lines have no end. I think it's a majestic achievement to express this eternal idea in a ruler.

Consumers tend to like rulers that fit into a pencil case. This design is about the size of a hand, but I think the effort put into the size and shape has improved the function. It would be interesting to see this ruler on the shelf next to traditional rulers.　

The idea that this design isn’t just for writing instruments but can also be used for eyeliner pencils and other cosmetic applicators demonstrated a bigger vision. I think this is a superb concept.

I think that it was interesting that the designer convinced me that a pencil is better without a sharply pointed end. Unfortunately, the design of this submission wasn’t particularly intriguing.
I would have liked to have seen the product designed with the ability to choose different shapes for the pencil tip. I think with that addition, this design could have been the Grand Prix winner.

We were delighted by the fact that this idea came out of a common experience. If the technical issues can be solved, then we believe there are a lot of possibilities here. If the blade could be modified to cut in a more rounded shape, it would be a unique and appealing product. The current design looks a bit too much like other products in terms of shape and color. We'd like to see the designer work on altering the look of the design.

Conceptually, I think this was an amazing idea. My concern is whether making these detailed graduation marks is technically feasible. I also wonder whether people can get used to the feeling of using this product. This might look like a rather plain design, but I believe that it's perfect conceptually.

The designer was frequently frustrated by wondering which side of the line to cut when using cutting along a line. A discrepancy of even 0.01mm can be a fatal error for a designer, and this design intended to solve this problem is quite ingenious. Despite the fact that the designer only added filler marks in between the graduation lines, the approach was something completely new and apart from traditional rulers.

The designer here focused on certain features and solutions for an everyday item. You can’t help but be impressed by designer's approach to their work. While the item looks like an ordinary ruler, the ingenuity of the design provides the user with an intuitive grasp of how to use it.

The notebook has been subject to all manner of design proposals throughout the years. This submission was the perfect reminder of the need for more specific demonstrations. I think putting this particular design out into the world would spark a generation of new and interesting ideas for the notebook, which is why I was so enamored with this design.

Adding lightly shaded sections to a notebook is a simple idea, but it has the effect of making it easier for users to take good notes. I think this is an excellent example of changing the quality and nature of an action with a minimum of effort.

This was a well-conceived, beautiful design. We were most impressed by the function achieved naturally through the design by sectioning the notebook by color. This is an idea that could be in stores tomorrow.