「寫算式或是歷史年表時，若能在一頁紙上統統寫完，無須翻頁便好了。」佐佐木愛在學時期不時浮現這想法，同時感受到日常的書寫行為，經常受制於紙張的大小。我們的想像永遠比紙張廣大，有沒有更自由無礙的書寫方式呢？佐佐木愛在2011年，當她還是學生時，參加了文具老品牌Kokuyo舉辦的設計比賽，交出的設計提案，是仿如保鮮膜的記事本——卷在長盒子裡的記事本，使用者想用多少便拉出多少，寫作空間的限制減去不少。
佐佐木愛的設計雖然得獎，Kokuyo亦非常欣賞她的設計，卻遲遲未有機會投產。直到2017年，Kokuyo有見電子化的文具越來越多，更覺需要重新思考「書寫」這行為，終於以此為契機，再次聯絡佐佐木愛，一起研究將其設計產品化的計劃。
成品的名字為Paper Wrap Note，讓人直接聯想到日常生活裡常見的保鮮膜，不用多費工夫，也能傳達出產品的嶄新概念。Kokuyo出品的Campus筆計本，極為日本人熟悉，Paper Wrap Note採用出同樣的紙張，增加產品的親切感。另一方面，Kokuyo及佐佐木愛，均希望Paper Wrap Note能如一般保鮮膜的包裝般，將切割用的「刀片」設於包裝盒上，然而在研發階段時，卻發現該為專利設計，不可隨便挪用。過往Kokuyo的產品製作，均交為自家工場進行，但為了實踐Paper Wrap Note的設計概念，他們決定跟擅長特殊包裝設計及製作的坂井印刷所合作，反覆賞試後終於設計出全新的「刀片」，同樣是附於包裝盒上的，方便使用者利落地撕開記事本。
有寫作習慣的人大概都有同感，不同材質的紙張、不同大小、厚薄的筆記，都微妙地影響寫作者的思潮。在Paper Wrap Note上寫作究竟會是怎樣的感受呢？喜歡寫作的你，也感到好奇吧。
“How nice would it be if there is a page big enough to fit in an entire equation or a timeline of history without flipping pages.” When Ai Sasaki was a student, she already saw how writing could be restricted by the size of a page sometimes. As our mind is always grander than the space of a single piece of paper, she wondered if there could be a way for us to write without boundary? Back in 2011, Sasaki, as a student, joined a design competition hosted by the well-established stationary brand KOKUYO. The design she submitted was a cling film inspired notebook that was rolled up in a long rectangular box so the users can pull out their desired length to meet the need of their writing.
Her idea brought her an award in the competition, but the design itself was not materialized into a product. Moving on to 2017, KOKUYO once again saw the need to reinterpret the concept of writing and stationary in the digital age. As a result, the group got in touch with Sasaki again to make her design come true.
From the product name “Paper Wrap Note”, one can easily connect it with the plastic wrap that is commonly seen in many households. It is made using the same type of paper used for the brand’s most popular product — Campus notebook — to give users a sense of intimate familiarity. When working on the details of the product, both KOKUYO and Sasaki were looking into adopting the cutting edge of the cling film package. Only until then did they realize it was, in fact, a patented design that they could not use. The manufacturing of KOKUYO is usually done in their own factories, but this time, they decided to collaborate with Sakai Printing Co. Ltd which specialized in package design and production. After multiple trials, they finally created their own cutting edge that can be attached to the box for cutting paper.
Anyone who is keen on writing with paper and pen would agree the texture and size of paper, as well as the thickness of a notebook, can cast a subtle effect on the mood of writing. So, what kind of mood can the Paper Wrap Note bring to the writers? You must be so curious to try it for yourself.
