GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2019
A total of seven products developed by ITOKI have won the Good Design Award at the 2019 Good Design Awards (sponsored by the Japan Design Promotion Organization, a public interest incorporated foundation).
GOOD DESIGN AWARD Winner
Levi (Levi Chair)
The Levi Chair has a simple design with minimal decoration and is available in a wide variety of specifications and fabrics, allowing it to be coordinated appropriately for a variety of spaces, including office spaces, meeting spaces, and conference rooms. The upholstery is single-stitched with gussets, and the frame is as minimal as possible, resulting in a design that is both visually pleasing and appealing.
In addition, you can adjust the seat surface and back to increase comfort with a single action, allowing you to adjust the comfort of your seat without stress. Furthermore, it has a function that smoothly supports leaning forward while working on a computer, etc., and a seat that sinks just the right amount the moment you sit down, providing a comfortable sitting experience that is suitable for any type of work.
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Producer |
ITOKI CORPORATION Shusuke Okamoto |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Haruhiro Ezure |
| Designer | Hiroki Sato, ITOKI CORPORATION |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
We praised the proposal for reconsidering what elements users really need in terms of the direction of advanced office chair technology. By eliminating complicated adjustment functions, the user can adjust only the upper and lower parts of the seat, but it provides a comfortable function that supports the body while following various body positions without the user having to set it. This shows that the design is technically accurate. In addition, many details are used to bring the impression closer to home furniture, and the design is compatible with the increasingly casual office environments that are common these days.
Qua (Cure Chair)
The "Qua" is a light task chair that uses a multi-faceted mesh back design and has a light silhouette, but the backrest folds three-dimensionally to accommodate various postures. It supports the lower back even when performing tasks that require concentration, providing a comfortable sitting experience.
In addition, 18 different colors of upholstery are available, allowing you to choose the upholstery color to match your space in order to enhance your imagination and intellectual productivity in a variety of work situations. By mixing and using a variety of colors, you can create a playful space and coordinate your office space with a sense of unity.
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Producer |
Yohei Yamamoto, ITOKI CORPORATION |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Kohei Wada |
| Designer | ITO Design GmbH Mugi Yamamoto Hajime Matsuzaki |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
It is based on consideration of what elements provide the necessary and sufficient comfort for casual work styles where the time spent sitting on a monopod is short. The company analyzed recent office environments and work styles and was praised for its design, which focuses on the functions that are truly needed. Eliminating the complicated controls for adjustment, the only part the user can adjust is the belt loop, suggesting a casual and convenient office chair. The flexibility of the resin back is adjusted by adjusting the thickness, and the design provides value that goes beyond appearance.
Lespas
"Lespas" provides an overwhelming amount of leg room compared to conventional products, allowing students to enjoy a comfortable environment where they can concentrate. It also features a "lock and adjust mechanism" that makes it easy to change the layout to suit the lecture format, making operability easy to understand at a glance.
In recent years, lecture halls have been demanding products that can accommodate a variety of learning styles, not just the traditional lecture format, and Lespas can meet such needs.
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Producer |
ITOKI CORPORATION Rui Osawa |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Haruhiro Ezure |
| Designer | ITOKI CORPORATION |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
We evaluated the various dissatisfaction we had with previous portable lecture tables in detail, and the improvements we made to usability from the user's perspective, including mechanical improvements. Low-profile casters are placed on thin L-shaped legs that allow smooth entry and exit from the seat, and a thin mechanism has been developed to prevent knees from touching the mechanism attached to the bottom of the flip-up top. Comfort has been improved. Additionally, indicators are placed on the top of the legs so that you can easily visually check the caster fixation status, which is an effective consideration to reduce frustration during transportation and reduce the causes of damage.
ADDSITE
ADDSITE allows you to set up semi-closed booths with various designs in the open space of your office, allowing you to choose the best place to work according to the nature of your work. Each booth is carefully designed to control the gazes and sounds of those around you, creating an environment where you can concentrate on your activities in each booth, improving efficiency and productivity.
In addition, the panel design has a simple yet soft impression, creating a comfortable office space without any sense of oppression. Furthermore, the system is capable of being connected and rearranged to accommodate changes in the office layout and expansion of the booth. ADDSITE allows for booth settings specialized for each activity, such as for one person, two people, or teamwork, providing a comfortable working space in any office.
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Producer |
ITOKI CORPORATION Keita Shibata Kenichi Ima |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Haruhiro Ezure |
| Designer | Akihiro Yamanaka, ITOKI CORPORATION |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
We praised the highly complete system that provides modern and diverse office layouts, with a simple partition that looks like a series of boards as the core of the design. The edges of the partition covered with felt fabric are beautifully treated, and the detailed structural design that achieves thinness and strength is outstanding. You can also feel the designers' efforts to reduce noise from the exterior, such as the top board holder hidden in the 3mm gap between the partitions.
HAX
By combining HAX in your own way, which has no set usage or layout, anyone can create a workplace that suits their own way of working, bringing out communication and creativity like never before. Furthermore, by combining a wide range of items that can be hacked to suit your own work style, such as whiteboards, hanging panels, and sofas with casters, you can create a wide range of spaces, such as idea-generating spaces and rest areas.
HAX provides an opportunity to generate ideas that would not normally be generated in a regular meeting room.
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Producer |
ITOKI CORPORATION Amari Tomofumi |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Haruhiro Ezure |
| Designer | Akihiro Yamanaka, ITOKI CORPORATION |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
We praised the design of a system that allows users to easily rearrange the arrangement and structure of furniture and actively participate in creating a work environment. The DIY feel that brings the whole series together is reflected in the simple details, and the light impression successfully creates a contrast to the heavy and solid image of standard office furniture. The design symbolizes the direction that should be explored further in the future in response to the diversifying demand for office interiors.
L-Force
One way to prevent a storage cabinet from falling over during an earthquake is to fix the top of the storage cabinet to the wall using an L-shaped bracket (hereinafter referred to as a wall fixing bracket), but this method cannot withstand the impact of a large-scale earthquake with a seismic intensity of 6 to 7. Otherwise, the wall fixing bracket may come off the wall and may not be able to provide sufficient protection against falls.
To cope with such situations, the "L-Force" anti-tip unit uses our unique technology (patent pending) to simply fasten and install it to the bottom of the wall of the storage unit (no need to fasten it to the top of the wall or floor), and it prevents the storage unit from tipping over even in a magnitude 7 earthquake.
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Producer |
ITOKI CORPORATION Toshihiko Wagatsuma, Tatsuki Kawai, Daisuke Nakamoto, Masanori Tanaka |
| Director | ITOKI CORPORATION Toshihiko Wagatsuma, Tatsuki Kawai, Daisuke Nakamoto, Masanori Tanaka |
| Designer | ITOKI CORPORATION Toshihiko Wagatsuma, Tatsuki Kawai, Daisuke Nakamoto, Masanori Tanaka |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
We evaluated a proposal to provide a seismic isolation structure to large storage furniture installed in offices with a simple structure and easy installation method. In Japan, various wisdom is required for earthquake countermeasures, and this design creates a low-cost and easy-to-install fall prevention device by incorporating a thin seismic isolation structure that takes advantage of the characteristics of steel plates into the base of large storage furniture. What you are doing is wonderful. The proposed structural design has the potential to evolve into even thinner products in the future and be integrated into larger furniture as a standard product.
i+ CONTAINER
The "i+ CONTAINER" is an item that neatly and beautifully stores items on your desk, such as A4 documents, laptops, and stationery. It is a personal container designed to allow workers who do not have assigned seats, such as hot desking, to work more flexibly due to changes in working styles. It comes with a removable pen tray and storage. The tray can store writing utensils, seals, smartphones, etc.
It is a product that is light and convenient and can be easily carried like a bag from your desk to a meeting place or even to your locker.
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Producer |
Naoki Terada, Inter Office Co., Ltd. |
| Director | Naoki Terada, Inter Office Co., Ltd. |
| Designer | Naoki Terada, Inter Office Co., Ltd. |
Evaluation Comments from the “Good Design” Committee
In recent years, attention has been focused on "work styles," and a variety of work styles have been proposed. In offices, there has been an increase in styles such as hot desking that do not have assigned seats and work styles that allow employees to choose the most suitable work scene. Mobile tools such as PCs and tablets have drastically reduced the amount of documents and paperwork, making such active work styles possible. Proposals for intermediate furniture that can be used in conjunction with personal lockers and storage shelves to store personal items needed for work have begun. This product is characterized by its combination of container and bag elements. It has a hard resin tray for organizing small items like a toolbox, and a felt case for precision equipment such as PCs, making it suitable for carrying, storing, and placing on a desk.
For more information about the Good Design Award, please visit the Good Design Award official website.
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*The information posted is as of the time of announcement. Please note that the information may differ from the latest information.