Hobonichi:

You’ve chosen the leather to be used for the Hobonichi Techo cover again this year. The TS 2018 – Butler is looking very handsome.

Sato:

Yes, I had a lot of fun selecting it.

Hobonichi:

What was the deciding factor for this leather?

Sato:

I felt that Butler most illustrated the dynamic quality of the leather amongst the candidates. Its rough texture caught my attention.

Hobonichi:

The other TS leather cover which is unchanged every year, Basic TS Black has a different appeal.

Sato:

Yes. The Basic exudes delicateness and gentility; the direction I took with this was erasing its physical presence. The Butler on the other hand, is rugged and robust.

 

Hobonichi:

It really does feel rugged.

Sato:

Right? The source of the ruggedness is the three-dimensionality of the surface. The surface texture’s depth is probably about 0.3 mm, but this subtle unevenness does a lot to enhance the impression of its volume.

Hobonichi:

The leather shop told us that to achieve this shrink-effect, leather is shrunk down from its original size, making this kind of leather a luxury. The deluxe air comes through as well.

Sato:

I agree. Its color black also possesses a formal bearing so — to put it into words, these are the reasons behind my decision making, I suppose. But when I chose, I sensed all of these in an instant.

Hobonichi:

The way you chose with lightning speed at last year’s leather selection meeting also left a strong impression.

Sato:

As you know, I am a speedy chooser (laugh). For instance, even when choosing clothes.

Hobonichi:

Even when you’re shopping?

Sato:

Let’s say there’s a row of clothes. I know which ones I want right away from a single walk through from end to end. Rarely have I had the experience where I pick this and that, agonizing over my choice.

Hobonichi:

Is it a sense of “knowing” or “seeing” the thing that matches exactly what you’d already imagined in your head?

Sato:

That might be so. I think when we encounter something, we feel that something in its entirety.

Hobonichi:

Feeling its entirety?

Sato:

We feel before we reason. I think this is the most important thing we need to embrace. I trust my instinct for things like color, texture, and functionality—things like that.

Hobonichi:

It does seem like one always ends up buying the first item he liked after rummaging through the whole store.

Sato:

That’s right. But with design work, it’s a different story. Designing something for an unspecified number of people involves referring to data, asking for opinions, and some agonizing.

Hobonichi:

Did you always make your shopping decisions without difficulty?

Sato:

Come to think of it, yes. I think maybe everyone is like that, though. What do you think?
When I was a student, I would take a really long time making shopping decisions—I’d visit this shop and that… Brooding with no end.
When you’re a student, you have lots of time but little money, so you tend to agonize over it.

Hobonichi:

When I started working, I think I became more adept at decision making since my thinking would be, “It’d be a pain to make time to come back to buy it, so I have to decide now.”

Sato:

Yeah, you cherish that single encounter.

Hobonichi:

But I don’t feel as confident as you about my gut feeling. Is it possible to elevate one’s sense of instinct?

Sato:

Everything is made of material, has its distinct texture, color, and volume. From my younger years, I always paid more attention than others to those aspects because they are an enormously valuable reference for my field of work, be it packaging, product or graphic design.

Hobonichi:

I see.

Sato:

When I’d be instantly attracted to something, I’d go back to analyze, “What drew me to this item?”(laughs). I like such mental process, and I would naturally do it.

Hobonichi:

It seems that when you stop and think about why you like a particular thing, you become more in touch with your own preferences.

Continues to Part.2

2017-10-12-Thu

Part 2