AyaCraft Educational toy by Hiromi Nishijima |
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| DESIGN DETAILS | |||||
| DESIGN NAME: AyaCraft PRIMARY FUNCTION: Educational toy INSPIRATION: Around 2000 At the very beginning, I was inspired by "Tezuna Knot" a decorative cutting used in Japanese cooking. In this decorative cut, a flat surface suddenly changes into a three-dimensional one. I began to think of ways to expand this method. Around 2010. One day, I was using felt for another job. At that time, I made a connection between "Tezuna Knot" and felt. I made many prototypes using felt. I made hexagons first, then completed squares. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: AyaCraft is a small, soft, square piece of felt that can be played with without any connecting parts or glue. It is a very simple connect method that allows you to hand-craft a wide variety of creations. The theme is "Shapes your imagination". The main design points are the holes and the material. This allows multi-directional assembly. Similar products can only be assembled in one direction, but the product I designed connects in multiple directions. See the attached PDF for more information. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: AyaCraft has a combination of small square soft puzzle pieces made of felt. It is a new type of puzzle that makes various shapes by connecting the pieces. While using your fingers to join them through “thinking and creating,” you can cultivate imagination and creativity. Please enjoy making your works by connecting, disconnecting and reconnecting them. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The base of the idea was formed around 2000. It was in 2010 that I finalised the design image. I started building a prototype. To check the novelty of the design, I entered it in some Japanese award and won several prizes. I searched for the best materials to express this design. It was in 2016 that I found the right balance between material, production and price. Since then, the number of items has been increased and more instructions and videos on how to make them have been added. FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: One of the most difficult aspects was creating a material that would maximise the properties of this design. The fabric needs to be flexible and resilient with a touch of fabric and optimum thickness. Even though the felt looks the same, the materials are infinitely different. The next difficulty was the size of the holes. They need to be easy to connect and hard to dislodge. Each prototype had to be actually used by children. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: original felt, 100% polyester / 50mm x 50mm x 2mm / We use paper boxes for Ayacraft packaging./There are a few unique points of the design and two primary points are holes and material. I got the official patent mainly for this. It makes possible to build things 90 degrees in multi directions and variety of recreations including 3D. Many similar products can be built only one way to the other and this is a biggest difference and flexibility for my designed product. TAGS: craft, art, educational, toy, felt, puzzle, joint, connect, handcraft, RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Children today are exposed to digital devices from a fairly young age. They can play fun games and watch as many videos as they like. In life, doors open automatically and Alexa turns on the lights. My first grandchild was born in 2008. I wanted to give her more hands-on experience of life and play. Ayacraft is not as easy as Lego. It uses children's fingers and children's brain very much. I want children to feel the joy of creating something with their own hands. CHALLENGE: My initial image was a series of regular hexagons like a beehive. Then I added squares and tried to mix both. I actually produced both shapes, but it was too difficult for the children. So I decided to form only simple squares and developed them. With just one square you can create an infinite variety of shapes: not only 2D, but also 3D shapes and soft curved surfaces. In the future, when more complex expressions are needed, I would like to add a hexagonal motif. ADDED DATE: 2023-02-28 08:46:15 TEAM MEMBERS (1) : IMAGE CREDITS: Main image : Studio PUFF Optional image #1 : Studio PUFF Optional image #2 : Licca Nishijima Optional image #3 : Chika Asano Optional image #4 : Tomomi Hashizume Video : Yuri Kawakami PDF : Hiromi Nishijima PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: EU design rights No.002437566-0001 f-pzl Inc. No.002437566-0002 f-pzl Inc. No.002437566-0003 f-pzl Inc. No.002437566-0004 f-pzl Inc. No.002437566-0005 f-pzl Inc. Japan Patent Office CERTIFICATE OF UTILITY MODEL REGISTERATION No.3164262 Hiromi Nishijima Japan Patent Office CERTIFICATE OF DESIGN REGISTERATION No.1485276 Hiromi Nishijima No.1426125 Hiromi Nishijima No.1426124 Hiromi Nishijima |
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| CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS | |
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NAME: AyaCraft PROFILE: AyaCraft is new brand name to spread the product to over sea and developed by myself and represented the original company ‘f-pzl.’ My current clients are mostly in Japan, elementally schools and senior centers. I also give workshops at high schools to tach the method and design ideas as well. My clients are also included educational institutions and local book stores for my own display. Children today are familiar with digital devices from the time they are infants. AyaCraft's designs were created to let such children know the joy of creating something with their own hands. We want them to experience tactile sensations, the use of their fingertips, and the exertion of force that they cannot get just from looking at a monitor. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Ayacraft Educational Toy by Hiromi Nishijima is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Category, 2022 - 2023.· Read the interview with designer Hiromi Nishijima for design AyaCraft here.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Hiromi Nishijima . · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Hiromi Nishijima . |
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