As we all know from friends or from personal experience, Kickstarter campaigns may not always be the final solution to make a project come true. Yet there are times when people react positively and enthusiastically to a clever idea or product and are ready to support it.
This is exactly what happened to Studio Samira Boon. The designer may be better known for her textile projects and functional products, but for her Kickstarter campaign she created a very clever toy that will attract not just kids but grown-ups as well.
Dubbed San Kaku Mado (most products designed by Boon have a Japanese name), this playful yet minimalist window mosaic puzzle consists in a series of transparent triangles in bright shades that offer endless possibilities and the chance to create infinite figures, objects and stories on smooth surfaces (though you can bet some grown ups will buy the sets for themselves and use them to decorate their own windows or turn them into fashion accessories…).
Having received positive feedback from the Kickstarter campaign, Boon will be able to start the production and distribution of the toy. As Boon launched her studio while she lived in Tokyo – a place where she still has a large group of customers – the manufacturing will take place in Japan, guaranteeing high quality to the product.
The main inspiration for this product came to Samira Boon from playing with her kids and deciding to develop a toy not just for her family but for her friends as well.
As it happens with all the best things, though the design of the product is very basic, it took a long time and a trial and error process to develop it.
The San Kaku Mado comes in one size and it will be sold in a flat package (easy to ship anywhere in the world and useful to be used as a storage box) containing 36 triangles in one colour (the product will be available in five different shades) that can be carried everywhere and used anywhere, as long as there is a window or glass surface where to stick the triangles.
"One of my favourite materials is the transparent vinyl that I started working with when I lived in Tokyo," Boon states on her Kickstarter page. "It varies in beautiful colours and lights up when the sun falls on it. But that is not the only beauty of this material; the most important thing is that due to its adhesive properties this material sticks to any flat surface such as mirrors and window. This makes the material highly suitable and easy for children to play with."
The main point of this toy is stimulating the creativity and the imagination of children while saving space and reminding most of us that kids don't need much to play with. "One of the most valuable things we can teach to our children is that they only need small things to make big things," Boon stated in a press release. "A simple little basic shape can become quite a story, and children can take us on a journey into their fantasy world."
To promote the product, Boon has also started making stop motion movies to capture the stories told by children playing with the San Kaku Mado.
But this is not the only happy twist Samira Boon is giving to this joyful story. The designer has indeed another surprise to make her customers happy: from now on with every € 500 (or more) given to her project via Kickstarter, Studio Samira Boon will donate a big box of San Kaku Mado sets worth €75 to children institutions, including hospitals and orphanages (all the public who backed her project can nominate organisations).
Looks like putting effort in everything you make – a lesson that Boon was reminded about while working as a designer in Japan – really pays. You can discover more about the San Kaku Mado Kickstarter campaign and support the project here.
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