stationery

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Design

A Paper Memo Pad That Excavates Objects as It Gets Used

Leave it to the stationery-loving Japanese to come up with a new way to enjoy writing notes. The Omoshiroi Block (loosely translated as ‘fun block’) utilizes laser-cutting technology to create what is, at first, just a seemingly normal square cube of paper note cards. But as the note cards get used, an object begins to appear. And you’ll have to exhaust the entire deck of cards to fully excavate the hidden object.

Produced by Japanese company Triad, whose main line of business is producing architectural models, the Omoshiroi Blocks feature various notable architectural sites in Japan like Kyoto’s Kiyomizudera Temple, Tokyo’s Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Tower. The blocks are composed of over 100 sheets of paper and each sheet is different from the next in the same way that individual moments stack up together to form a memory.

But despite the declining cost of laser-cutting technology, the Omoshiroi Blocks are still quite expensive and range from around 4000 yen to 10,000 yen, depending on their size. Getting your hands on one will also be tricky for the time being as they’re currently only available at the Tokyu Hands Osaka location. But you can keep up with updates from the company by following them on Instagram. (Syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)

Design

Preserve Botanical Finds and Other Travel Specimens With This Unique Japanese Stationery

Did you go anywhere fun and inspiring this summer? Did you wish you could share a piece of the experience with someone? Well now you can with this one-of-a kind mailing card that comes with a specimen window.

Share a piece of your travels—a leaf, a newspaper clipping, a flower petal, a tag, a ticket—by inserting the specimen between the plastic sheets to hold it in place. Add some text and your card transforms into a tiny museum dedicated to telling a story from your travels.

The card was designed by Tokyo-based illustrator Haruka Shinji, who knows a thing or two about traveling. She grew up in Seoul and Shanghai before moving to London for college. After graduating from Royal College of Art she moved back to Tokyo. Her idea for the card won an award in a paper card design competition, and was then produced by the Tokyo-based Fukunaga Print.

You can find the Preserve Your Travel Card in the Spoon & Tamago shop. (Synidcated from Spoon & Tamago)

Design Science

Hand-Painted Planetary Push Pins

Tokyo-based industrial designer Duncan Shotton (previously) is known for his unique approach to houseware and stationery design, where he takes common objects from pencils to bookmarks and conceives of a novel twist. His latest creation is a series of push pins designed to look like the solar system called Planet Pins. The set includes the 8 planets (sorry Pluto fans) and an optional moon pin cast in concrete. Planet Pins just launched on Kickstarter and 100 sets are available as a signed limited edition.

Design

Cubic Rubber Bands by Nendo

Earlier this year Tokyo and Milan-based design firm Nendo (previously) accepted the challenge of redesigning the rubber band, one of the most common desktop items that seems so ubiquitous that it’s disposable. After all, the cost of a few hundred more is just a few bucks. But what if a rubber band was interesting, functional, and you didn’t want to throw it away. This was the idea behind Nendo’s cubic rubber band, a completely different form factor resulting in a desktop object that isn’t meant to be stashed away in a drawer or tossed in the trash. A set of three retails for 1080 yen (about $10), though you’ll need to be able to navigate a Japanese retailer, Marks, to snap up a set. (via Spoon & Tamago)