Every year, Faculty of Art and Design, Department of Living Environment Design Product Design major, designs and produces business card holders, graduation gifts given to graduates by the university.
This year, three second-year students from Shimizu Minoru's laboratory, Uegami Noriko (Chikushi Jogakuen High School), Ogawa Himeno (Fukusho High School), and Fujita Keisuke (Kyushu Sangyo University Kyushu High School), planned and produced the project in collaboration with Kurume Weaving's Mitsunobu Textiles Ltd.
When considering the design of the business card holder, the students focused on three points: "compactness," "number of cards that can be stored," and "smooth access." This year, they adopted a "compact box shape" and a "V-cut opening," and realized the idea of a magnet that can be used to securely close the lid to prevent business cards from scattering inside the bag.
The fabric is made of Kurume weave nep yarn, which intentionally shows the unevenness of the yarn, giving it a warm feel. The combination of the fabric colors of gray and turquoise blue gives it a modern impression, and the handkerchief that wraps the business card holder acts as cushioning for the package, making it an eco-friendly design that does not require individual packaging.
One participating student said, "Through this activity, I realized the effectiveness of applying the power of design to things close to home. I also felt that there is no saturation point and that we can make things better by designing various realizations."
In the end, we were able to create a graduation gift that we were satisfied with in terms of functionality, cost, and design.
*Kurume weaving is a cotton fabric that is traditionally made in the Chikugo region of Fukuoka Prefecture, and is used as a material for cotton-filled hanpen and monpe. A characteristic of Kurume weaving is the fine weaving technique that uses multiple threads.
[Faculty of Art and Design]
