Naoto Fujisawa, Japanese industrial designer out of Tokyo, is known for his simplistic designs. His mantra “without thought” refers to how objects should be used; naturally and spontaneously. This mantra has been front and center since he opened his own design company in 2003.

Being able to use an object intuitively results in a design that is user friendly to all. Take, for example, the Muji CD player Fujisawa designed. Inspired by how the spinning CD reminded him of a rotating fan, Fujisawa quite literally interpreted this into his design, creating a wall mount CD player that starts and stops at the tug of a string.

As introduced in the Universal Design segment in DWELL magazine March 2010:

“[the CD player] comfortably accommodates many kinds of disability: There is no visual display, so it is easy to use with impaired vision; the main control is a generous pull cord, not a tiny button, so it can be used with reduced dexterity too. Its very simplicity also makes it approachable to people with learning difficulties or other cognitive impairments, because you don’t have to decode cryptic icons or be familiar with the conventions of computers or ATMs.”

In the future, the ease of which an object can be used may become as important as its aesthetic beauty. Fujisawa’s designs embody both qualities allowing us a peek into industrial design of times to come.

The Muji CD player is part of MoMA’s permanent collection.

http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20070518/without-thought

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Muji%20Wall-Mounted%20CD%20Player_10451_10001_50634_-1_11628_11628_null__