13/11/2012

Plus Minus Zero Wire Ware Designed by Naoto Fukasawa

A simple but unique selection by Plus Minus Zero in Japan, designed by the one and only Naoto Fukasawa. I suppose when you’re a famous designer it gives you the chance to work on some interesting projects, this particular company being one of them who has given Naoto Fukasawa full design direction. I’m guessing this wasn’t a natural evolution as such, since Plus Minus Zero was founded in 2003, but you can definitely see that the match was made in heaven, it’s a perfect fit.

If you travel to the Plus Minus Zero about page you can read through what Mr Fukasawa has to say on the products and the ideology of the company itself. He goes on to say, in a summarised form, that the company believes that designing things that coexist together is natural, that it’s not just about matching colours or shapes; it’s about designing the harmony between these devices and life. An example he gave was, “when thinking of bread for breakfast, we also think about the toaster, the plate and the bread basket that go with it”. I have to admit I’m very intrigued by this way of thinking and it’s something that I myself don’t think about all that often, how things interact with each other. A lot of the time I’m thinking in a singular form, as in how an object interacts with a human being, much like the Super Normal project Naoto worked on with Jasper Morrison, where as here he’s flipped it and said how items work in tandem. This has given the perfect platform for Plus Minus Zero to sell and make products that coincide with each other, thus meaning more of a concept on the business side, also you can tackle some daily frustrations head on through design itself.

Take these wired pieces for example, which were designed by Naoto Fukasawa himself, they’re beautifully simplistic and are so obvious in their format. One you see them you think “wow, how did I not think of that?”, but that just shows how practical and uncluttered they are, just a bare wire frame in matte black turned into a multitude of functions. You’ve got a nice square basket, perfect for storing books in, a toast stand, an egg carton, and a round basket for fruit and other kitchen necessitates. I’m fascinated by these and I hope you are too, sometimes the simplest of things can make a massive difference in your life. If you want to see more I’d urge you towards the two links below, where I pinched this imagery from, they’ve got plenty more objects on offer as well. CraftCraft for example stocks other functional items related to design in itself, such as Borge Mogensen, Carl Aubock and Hans Wegner – Enjoy!

www.plusminuszero.jp
www.craftcraft.net