Where I Started
I have always wanted to write a blog about design and the lifestyle I enjoy. Last year, I experienced a life changing event, which made me think a lot about how I want to live my life in the next coming years. One of the checklist I had was to write a blog about what I do for living, mainly industrial design, but I would like to go a little broader than that. Product design, furniture, interior, sustainable living, travel, and my lovely dog are my topics of interest. My Danish husband will make a joke about me, because writing is not my best skill. Oh well, I’m Japanese anyway. I will do my best.
A week ago, I pulled out a smartphone from the shelf. I was afraid to find out whether the battery has exploded inside the phone that has been sitting in the closet for a long time. Thanks to my husband, who is an engineer, the battery was removed and the phone has been stored safely in the closet. Here you go, T2.
During my 2 and a half years living in Denmark, I was lucky to be able to design a smartphone. I worked on the phone between 2010-2011, when the only high-quality phone on the market was iPhone and everyone else was making plastic phones. The phone was released in early 2012 and it was named Lumigon T2. It was one of the first smartphones that embraced Scandinavian minimal and functional design.
I was surprised by how everything was intact and no paint was peeled off. When I was studying different phones back in 2010, they felt cheap and the paint had turned gooey very quickly. (Now that many phones are better designed...) T2 is mostly made with stainless steel and glass. I held T2 in my hand and I was glad to find out it has maintained its craftsmanship after 6 years. The phone was solid, shiny, and it felt good in my hand.
The phone ran on Android 4.0 and has a size of an iPhone 5. When the phone was first released in 2012, I was thrilled and scared. I checked almost all the reviews in the tech websites and CNN news. There were a few remarks on how the technical features were not the topnotch but no single article was criticizing about the design of T2 but talked positively about it. I felt relieved and happy that all those months of refining the shape and details were finally paid off.
After I left, Lumigon continued to pursue its ambition with great design in mind for many years. Recently I heard, they have closed down the business. It is a quiet accomplishment for such a small startup to strive among the giant corporations like Apple and Samsung.
Living and working in Denmark has completely changed my idea toward design. In Scandinavia, the summer is short and people have learned to make their home a sanctuary to stay away from the cold. Every furniture, home decor, and kitchenware they pick matter so much to them. This experience inspired me to design T2. I have learned that you cannot design without understanding the lifestyle. This is where I started my career as an industrial designer.
Greetings in Japanese
雨の多い冬が過ぎ去り、ようやくベイエリアも春めいてきました。昔デザインしたスマートフォンLumigon T2が古くなる前に写真に残しておこうと思いつき、久しぶりにクローゼットから取り出してみました。
デンマークに住んだ２年半の間に手がけたデザイン。時は２０１０年。スマートフォンがやっとコンシューマーに馴染んできた時代。プラスチック製のものが中心だった当時、Lumigon T2はステインレススチールとガラスを用い、北欧デザインのミニマムで機能的なデザインを売りにしていました。まだ駆け出しのインダストリアルデザイナーだった私...。大役をまかされ四苦八苦しながらデザインし、初めてマーケットに出た作品です。
夏が短く冬が長いデンマークでは、家の中での生活が多いため、家具やインテリアを中心とした「北欧デザイン」というものが生まれました。シンプルだけど機能的、そして温かみを忘れないデザインに囲まれたデンマークのライフスタイル。それらがT2をデザインするに当たって大きなインスピレーションとなりました。ここが私のアナザースカイ.....といいたいところですが、工業デザイナーとしてのスタート地点であります。もっと詳しくは、英語ですが本文で。