KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2022

How effective those restrictions are will need to be checked out, since everyone organizes their thoughts differently, but this is a great start. We disagreed in the Final Judging about this becoming the Grand Prix winner based on how effective it would be for idea flow versus writing freely, but I did personally accept it as it was a diary rather than a notebook.

We judges kept finding new value in entries as we discussed them during the Final Judging, but this one was particularly difficult. My experience working in France led me to believe that designs need the sturdiness to go up against others and open a path for the future of our existence, intelligence, and thoughts. This entry is clearly limited in how it can be used, and it asks what exactly design is. Perhaps from its insight into the act and spirit of writing words in the midst of digitalization progressing, I felt this one had a rare charm: as I looked at it, I could see more and more how creatively it could be used.

This entry takes a unique approach to the UNLEARNING theme and is well-suited to the Grand Prix prize. I'd also like to praise the fact that the designers' concept didn't waver from the start, and they tried to improve it even further. The pages were completely black aside from the white lines in the first round of judging, but they changed that to scribbled-in noise for the Final Judging. Being able to write negative things on that noise but not see them, thus allowing you to also write things you want to forget as entries, broadened the scope of who may use this. It's really impeccable—a conceptual entry that you can still envision in use.

I wondered at first if the concept's print placement was too restrictive, but others helped me unlearn during the judging, and I ended up voting for it. Designers can put their own subjectivity aside and create for completely objective reasons when proposing new values and rules through designs, but this entry, with its swirling scribbles and white lines, show the creators' worldview. That's a strong point for this one, and it'll really intrigue people.

From a commercialization standpoint, we have to consider whether or not the winning entry is both experimental and feasible. This one had a great balance of those two. Commercialization may be tough in some aspects, but I hope those at KOKUYO will put their heads together to figure it out. An overseas entrant won the Grand Prix again this year—just like last year—and I'd be happy if this award becomes a way for KOKUYO to connect with overseas customers, too.

Although hurdles may arise when commercializing it, I appreciated its appeal as an item, how the creativity jumped out, and how well the design was crafted.

We've seen scent-related proposals before, but there were always doubts about the compatibility between stationery and scents, and I was never able to praise them. This entry feels somewhat like listening to music. I felt the design's meaning within the idea of entrusting time to the scents that change along with it, just as I'd do with tracks on an album. I hope to see further improvements after their technical tests.

The novelty of their idea to turn a certain time's emotions into a scent, along with them checking that their colors and shapes fit the concept, were both good points. Despite that, I'm worried that these good points will become issues when this is released as actual incense. I look forward to seeing them continue improving it.

Time is an extremely vast concept that creates a common perception, so I think many designers planned to create something related to it. Among those, this entry effortlessly linked the elements of time and scent. However, some parts of the model left unanswered questions about how useful it is for the UNLEARNING theme.

Sadly, it couldn't win more than a Merit Award because the pictures drawn with it in the workshop didn't entirely convey what's great about using it. We may have liked it more if we could've seen different artistic effects mixed to create an interesting outcome.

The designers' idea and presentation were great, and their talent is thrilling. However, it was hard to understand their hierarchy of thoughts, or what they thought at what stage. Whether they're just throwing it out there and giving their entry freedom or entrusting the possibilities to the user was questionable, and that caused controversy during judging. Designs aren't just about ideas, so I want them to trust the process of making things and think hard about everything from how to make to how to use their design. I hope to see progress in the future.

We've seen entries that focus on color before, but the concept of limiting the colors to give users new perspectives and insights felt fresh. These tools being limited to a single color and thus having both a color and textural element highlighted a value that's been overlooked, and I thought that fit the idea of UNLEARNING.

This was a strong, vibrant response to the theme. Products themselves stipulate our viewpoints and ways of thinking surprisingly often, and color is part of that. While it does shake up a perception that was previously considered standard, it also offers a strong degree of unlearning. Thus, the designers need to consider how they can reach users with existing perceptions and whether they'll accept it.

I might've been more impressed if I could've seen how well they aligned with the UNLEARNING theme. They could be nice products, so I hope the designers aim to commercialize them while paying attention to the materials and details.

I think the advantage of being a unit is that they can discuss from various perspectives when creating a concept. The idea of non-visual information from rattling fruit seeds giving way to imagination is wonderful. However, if they had tried a bit harder to create situations where various people use their product instead of just having conforming discussions, they could've possibly made something even better.

The concept and story are interesting, the entry looks good, and they did an amazing presentation. When I looked at the items themselves, though, I was a bit concerned that they're made of plastic. Humans perceive what things are with their whole bodies, so the plastic feel didn't resonate well with the concept for me. I hope to see them further improve these in the future by instead using the shapes to highlight the parts that can't be explained in words.

KOKUYO also has businesses related to early learning and education, and this entry fits well into those areas. Making the inner seeds from wood was also a great improvement. However, it would've been even better if the designers proposed when they could be used, such as an adult and child using them to communicate and stimulate their intellectual curiosity.