FROM CONTEST TO MARKET
The structure serves as a sort of table,
providing a stable surface on which to write and draw.
Drama and learning in the commercialization process
"roll table" won the grand-prix in "KOKUYO DESGIN AWARD 2011", and KOKUYO is now testing commercialization of this design. This report introduces the process of commercializing the "roll table".
In the first section, we ask Shinichi Yamauchi, Kei Ninomiya and Fumiaki Amano of Kobe Design School, who created the "roll table", about their impressions of the commercialization project.
rool table (Table)
Author：Prize Winner: Kobe Design School
Shinichi Yamauchi, Kei Ninomiya,
Fumiaki Amano
One of the objectives of the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD is commercialization. In reality, however, commercialization is difficult and unfortunately ideas are often abandoned after reviews. It took some time to decide to commercialize the roll table: the designers in Kobe Design School were informed around November 2012, one year after receiving the award. "When we got the call, we were all excited. But the excitement lasted only a moment. At the first project meeting we learned that there were so many problems that they had once abandoned commercialization, and some of the problems still remain unsolved. We made this design with the intention of commercialization, but we learned the hard lesson that we were amateurs", comments Mr. Ninomiya.
Verify a prototype model
The meetings were repeated and KOKUYO proposed changing the materials. Mr. Amano recalls, "We also made various proposals including how to sell it. As we solved the problems one by one with KOKUYO, we felt a great sense of achievement. We also met various people, and started to feel a strong sense of belonging as a team."
Idea sketch
The commercialization project is proceeding through collaboration among Kobe Design School, KOKUYO and the factory workers. Finally, we asked Mr. Yamauchi about his feelings toward commercialization. "There are still problems to be fixed, but I firmly believe it will be commercialized. The executive directors of KOKUYO are directly involved in this project, and we greatly appreciate their enthusiasm toward commercialization. The project has become like our own training school where it's stimulating to learn. We are very grateful for that, too. We hope our roll tables will be commercialized and that many children will use them, making a lot of people smile."
The process of commercialization is like a drama. We will report on this from the site in our next issue.
