KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2016

The message that stood out about it not being a finished product but incorporating some processing by the user to make the stationery was innovative. While the work kept to the basics of the circular, triangular and square shapes, and pencils, erasers and rulers, it makes us wonder what would happen next. This question in itself establishes this as a work of art.

After getting a simple and clear picture of the theme “HOW TO LIVE”, the creators focused on the users and “how to use this work.” The answer to the number of uses lies in the number of users, so it could reach 1000 or even 10,000; it is a work of art with a ripple-effect, just like the media.

In a world where everything is becoming more convenient, conversely, this kind of seemingly inconvenient thing gives rise to the imagination. Although it may be difficult to establish it as stationery and it is a proposal that is the direct opposite to contemporary manufacturing, I think that it may give some kind of "awareness" to people trying to create things.

For the first time I felt with surprise, “This is it!” It may not be the kind of thing that is a best seller but I think the way the idea and viewpoint is handled stands out. How can it be cut? How can it be manufactured? Anyway, far beyond such doubts, the innovative way of thinking makes it suitable for the Grand Prix.

This was the sharpest answer that appeared in response to the very difficult theme that we presented. We are looking forward to learning something ourselves as we work on commercializing this work into a product from now on.

Since things of the past themselves are shown in photographs, they easily connect us to memories of the past even without a date on them. When things do not change visually, it is difficult to connect the past to the present. However, pressing a stamp on something that exists as an object may exert more of an effect than a photograph. We do not know what kind of emotions may arise in the future until time has actually passed, so this work also incorporates this unknown perspective.,

There is the possibility that the act of stamping a "product anniversary" kind of brand would come across too strongly, like a branding iron. But with the idea of using a stamp to trigger the memory, it may simply be good to have a date that is just a number. I wish they had thought a little more about subtracting from the initial idea a little more.

When I pressed it on the case to my smart phone, a feeling of attachment to it somehow came over me. I think that this work has a bit of originality, and conveys a "feeling of possession". It could be better if there were more variations in the print design.

As I myself wear my favorite clothes for 20 or 30 years, I think I would be happy after a while if the date was stamped on these clothes. This is a work that demonstrates power through time. In the current design of the print lettering, I feel that, depending on the person, there are some things that people don't mind stamping and other things that they can't stamp. I want you to think about a design for the print lettering that makes people think that something will look nicer if the stamp is on it.

This work demonstrated a clear message from the time of the primary selection. The hurdles for commercialization are high, such as the compatibility between the ink and each material, but from the viewpoint of looking at the relationship between people and things, this is exactly the kind of thing that we wanted for the theme of "HOW TO LIVE".

This work gives pleasure and creates a space to show imagination by letting people express their feelings through pictures and words in the gap that exists in the act of sending (sending a gift). I think that the real value of this proposal will involve the details, such as the framing and placement of the speech balloons, details that would make even people who do not like drawing want to draw something.

This is a product that is for certain users. In addition to the regular sales of this work once it is made into a product, I feel that interesting things will arise from this product, for example, the development of the market for it as a novelty in collaboration with distribution companies. It is also a work that makes you think of its possibilities as a business in a mass transit society.

Although I did not vote for this work in the primary selection, when the prototype was shown in the final review, I felt a rather excited feeling of happiness as I could imagine the scenes when it could be used. Personally, rather than drawing manga, it may be good enough just to add a few words, depending on the person, but it is a good work that conveys feelings.

I had the simple thought of wanting this product myself. It is a wonderful idea to take the time to think about the person you are sending the gift to and to write some words in the speech bubbles and this leads to communication. The way that they used concrete examples for this proposal, such as . sending a gift to their parents actually using this tape, made it a good presentation, easy to get an image of the times it could be used.

Usually we send packages in cardboard boxes so until now mainly we have not been so particular about the packaging. This gave me an idea about a new category of "communicating feelings" with packing tape that is also strong and cheap. Especially children will be so happy to draw manga.

I really got into it and tried out how it felt when cutting but I was using it the wrong way without realizing. However, by fine-tuning it with my hand I could cut rather well with it. I thought that the real pleasure of this tool is that it not self-sufficient, that it functions only after being worn by a person. This makes me remember the roots of tools that cannot be separated from the human body. In an era of assigning clear functions to evolving technology, this work freshly asks questions about the way the tools are used.

The moment that I used the prototype I thought "I want to buy this!" The comfortable feeling cutting the tape was transmitted directly to my thumb, and I felt so impressed because it felt like my fingertip itself had evolved. Only the naming and styling are not able to convey the merits of the work and need to be improved.

Since the special characteristic of this work is in the wearing of tools, if that concept had been proposed in a combination with several other products, in a form such as "three tools that you can wear ", I think that the work would have been more fun and had more impact.

This is a new idea of wearing a cutter to cut tape. It would have been an even more wonderful proposal if the idea had been combined with solutions to solve the problems of it being difficult to find the edge of the end of sellotape and to peel it off.

For the model used in the final review, we used the blade from Kokuyo's tape cutter "KaruCut" which has gained popularity for its "ability to cut without having to use strength". Compared to conventional dispenser types that can only use one tape, the proposal for this work makes us want to try it out on various different tapes.