Object by Akira Nakagomi Shows Brands How Safety Becomes Lasting Art

Exploring How This Golden A' Design Award Winner Demonstrates the Value of Transforming Business Necessities into Lasting Artistic Brand Assets

What happens when your brand invests in something purely functional, knowing the purchased item will eventually become obsolete? The answer, for most enterprises, involves storage closets, disposal fees, and the quiet acknowledgment of resources spent on temporary solutions. Yet a fascinating question emerges from the reality of wasted investment: what if the initial expenditure could transform into something your company proudly displays for decades?

The question of transforming temporary needs into lasting assets is precisely what Akira Nakagomi Design confronted when developing Object, a splash-proof partition that earned recognition with a Golden A' Design Award in Furniture Design. The project began in April 2020 in Tokyo, at a moment when businesses worldwide were rapidly acquiring protective barriers for their spaces. The design studio observed something remarkable: millions of enterprises were purchasing utilitarian barriers that would eventually become worthless once circumstances changed.

Rather than accepting the temporary mindset prevalent in the market, the studio embarked on a fourteen-month journey to create something different. The result merges the protective function businesses require with the aesthetic permanence brands cherish. Standing at 500 millimeters high with circular acrylic panels supported by carefully bent brass rods, Object represents a fundamentally different approach to business necessity.

For brand managers, marketing executives, and enterprise decision-makers, the Object case study illuminates a strategic pathway that deserves attention. When your organization faces functional requirements that seem temporary, the instinct often leans toward minimizing investment. Object demonstrates why that instinct might deserve reconsideration. The following exploration reveals how one design transforms a perceived expense into an enduring brand asset, and what your enterprise can learn from the approach demonstrated by Object.

The Business Logic of Permanent Solutions to Temporary Problems

Every enterprise eventually confronts moments when functional requirements demand immediate action. Office configurations shift. Customer-facing spaces require modification. Health considerations reshape physical environments. In these moments, the procurement instinct typically prioritizes speed and cost minimization. The underlying assumption suggests that temporary needs warrant temporary solutions.

Akira Nakagomi Design challenged the temporary-solution assumption through deliberate analysis. Before beginning development, the studio conducted extensive research by visiting stores and restaurants to understand existing solutions. What the research team discovered was a market dominated by products designed with impermanence in mind: lightweight plastics, provisional fixtures, and basic support structures. The available solutions accomplished their immediate purpose while contributing to visual clutter in carefully designed commercial spaces.

The studio recognized an opportunity that many enterprises overlook. When businesses invest in temporary solutions, organizations essentially pay twice: once for the initial purchase and again when those items require replacement or become obsolete. By investing thoughtfully in permanent solutions, enterprises can transform that expenditure into lasting value.

Consider the material decisions that define Object. The design specifies 6mm brass bent to support 500mm circular acrylic panels, with 110mm brass cylinders serving as stabilizing weights. The specified materials are substantial, chosen for their ability to develop character over time. Brass naturally develops a patina that enhances the metal's appearance as years pass. High-grade acrylic maintains clarity and color stability indefinitely. The material choices represent an investment in permanence rather than an expense on disposability.

For enterprises managing physical spaces, the permanence logic extends beyond individual purchases. When your brand consistently chooses lasting solutions over temporary ones, the cumulative effect reshapes how clients, employees, and visitors perceive your commitment to quality. The partition in your reception area becomes a statement about your organization's values.

Material Selection as Brand Communication Strategy

The materials that populate your business environment communicate volumes before any conversation begins. When visitors enter your space, they subconsciously register the quality of fixtures, furniture, and functional elements. Visitor observations contribute to brand perception in ways that marketing materials cannot replicate.

Object demonstrates how material selection transforms functional requirements into brand communication opportunities. The circular acrylic panels come in two distinct variants: smoked versions for spaces favoring modern minimalism, and colored gradient versions that create more dramatic visual effects. The variant choice acknowledges that different brand identities require different aesthetic expressions while maintaining consistent quality standards.

The development process required significant experimentation to achieve the desired gradient effects. Traditional manufacturing approaches could not produce the subtle color transitions the studio envisioned. Through careful iteration, testing different application methods, temperatures, and color compositions, the team developed techniques that balance transparency with color distribution. The result creates what the studio describes as dynamic interaction with light, where the partition transforms based on lighting conditions throughout the day.

The brass support structure serves multiple functions beyond the obvious structural role. The warm metallic tone creates sophisticated contrast with the acrylic panels, adding visual depth to the overall composition. The proportions were carefully calculated to achieve what designers call visual lightness (the sense that a substantial object appears elegant rather than heavy).

For brand managers considering space design decisions, the Object material choices illustrate an important principle. Functional elements need not default to neutral or forgettable. When selected with intention, materials that serve practical purposes can simultaneously reinforce brand identity. The brass that supports Object will look different in five years than the brass does today, developing character that disposable alternatives cannot achieve.

The Modular Architecture of Flexible Brand Environments

Modern enterprises require spaces that adapt. Meeting configurations change. Team sizes fluctuate. Event requirements shift. Rigid spatial solutions create friction when flexibility serves business objectives better. Object addresses the flexibility reality through thoughtful modular engineering that preserves aesthetic integrity across configurations.

The design allows individual units to connect around shared brass weights, creating expanded configurations without introducing visible mechanical connections that interrupt visual flow. When two or more units join together, the connected units form larger geometric compositions that enhance artistic impact while maintaining functional effectiveness. The adaptability enables Object to serve as individual statement pieces or components of larger spatial installations.

Developing the connectivity presented considerable engineering challenges. The circular form, while visually striking, complicated alignment between connected units. The team engineered calibration systems within the base structure that allow minute adjustments, ensuring multiple units create seamless visual flow when joined. The connection points distribute weight evenly across the structure, protecting the acrylic panels from stress regardless of configuration.

For enterprises managing dynamic environments, the modular approach offers valuable flexibility. Hospitality businesses can reconfigure protective arrangements based on event requirements. Corporate offices can adjust spatial divisions as team compositions evolve. Retail environments can modify customer flow patterns seasonally. Throughout configuration changes, the aesthetic consistency remains intact.

The practical specifications support the adaptability. Single units measure 555mm wide by 110mm deep by 500mm high. Connected configurations expand to 1000mm wide while maintaining the same depth and height. The dimensions accommodate various spatial requirements while maintaining proportional harmony.

Extending Value Through Thoughtful Feature Integration

Among the most intriguing aspects of Object is the optional wooden flower base attachment. The flower base feature represents something beyond mere accessory. The addition embodies the studio's fundamental philosophy about designing for permanent value rather than temporary utility.

The concept emerged from observation that traditional barriers created static, lifeless boundaries between spaces. By incorporating a flower vase element, the design introduces dynamic, organic components that bring nature into functional objects. The wooden vase creates counterpoint to the industrial materials of acrylic and brass, adds warmth through natural material, and creates opportunities for seasonal decoration and personalization.

The flower base feature transforms the protective element from a purely functional object into an active contributor to spatial atmosphere. Businesses can change flowers seasonally, creating dynamic displays that reflect changing rhythms throughout the year. A hospitality venue might feature spring blossoms in March, summer arrangements in July, autumn elements in October, and evergreen accents in December. The protective function remains constant while the aesthetic expression evolves.

For brands seeking to explore object partition's golden a' award-winning design portfolio, the flower base feature illustrates how thoughtful design considers multiple phases of product life. The initial function addresses immediate requirements. The flower base feature anticipates future states when that initial function becomes less relevant. Rather than relegating the object to storage, the design enables graceful transition to new purposes.

The approach to product lifecycle planning offers valuable lessons for enterprise decision-makers. When evaluating purchases for your brand environment, consider asking: what happens to a given item when the item's primary function becomes unnecessary? Products designed with second-life consideration transform potential waste into continuing value.

Psychological Impact of Beautiful Functional Elements

The studio's research revealed something that purely utilitarian approaches overlook entirely. Traditional protective barriers, while accomplishing their functional purpose, often created feelings of isolation and sterility in spaces designed for social interaction and comfort. The psychological dimension deserves attention from enterprises concerned with how environments affect employees, clients, and visitors.

Akira Nakagomi Design approached the psychological challenge by incorporating design elements specifically intended to counteract negative psychological effects while maintaining protective function. The circular form creates softer, more welcoming presence compared to rectangular alternatives. The color gradients introduce visual interest that engages attention pleasantly rather than creating the institutional atmosphere associated with purely functional barriers.

The geometric perfection of the circular acrylic creates what designers describe as harmony. Geometric harmony contributes to psychological comfort in ways that irregular or purely utilitarian forms cannot achieve. When people spend extended time in spaces, subtle environmental factors accumulate into meaningful effects on mood, productivity, and wellbeing.

For enterprises managing employee environments, client-facing spaces, or public accommodations, psychological considerations carry practical significance. Spaces that feel welcoming encourage longer visits. Environments that feel comfortable support productivity. Settings that feel thoughtfully designed communicate organizational values before any explicit messaging occurs.

Object demonstrates that functional requirements and psychological considerations need not compete. Through careful design, both objectives can be achieved simultaneously. The protective function remains fully intact while the aesthetic elements contribute positively to the psychological character of the space.

Strategic Lessons for Forward-Thinking Brand Management

The journey from initial observation to finished product spanned fourteen months, from April 2020 through June 2021. During the development period, the studio exhibited the developing work at two events focused on new standards for living and working environments. The extended timeline reflects the depth of consideration that transforming temporary necessity into permanent art requires.

Several strategic principles emerge from the Object case study that enterprises can apply to future decision-making:

• Question the minimization instinct: The instinct to minimize investment in temporary requirements deserves questioning. When temporary requirements involve physical objects that occupy visible space, the brand communication dimension warrants consideration alongside functional specifications and cost metrics.
• Evaluate materials for long-term character: Material selection offers opportunities that basic procurement processes may overlook. Materials that develop character over time create different long-term value than materials designed purely for initial cost efficiency. The accumulated patina on brass components tells a story that disposable materials cannot tell.
• Prioritize modularity and flexibility: Modularity and flexibility provide insurance against changing requirements. Even when current needs seem clear, future circumstances will differ. Designs that accommodate reconfiguration without sacrificing aesthetic integrity offer greater long-term value than rigid solutions.
• Consider psychological impact explicitly: Psychological impact deserves explicit consideration in procurement decisions. The functional specifications of any object represent only part of the object's effect on your environment. How that object makes people feel contributes to true value, even when psychological contributions resist easy quantification.

The Golden A' Design Award recognition that Object received validates the strategic principles outlined above. The award criteria emphasize excellence that may significantly impact environments through desirable characteristics. The recognition confirms that the approach Akira Nakagomi Design pursued can successfully bridge functional requirement and lasting artistic value.

Building Brand Environments That Evolve Gracefully

Looking forward, the principles demonstrated by Object suggest approaches for enterprises facing future functional requirements. When your organization next confronts circumstances requiring physical modifications to your spaces, the temporary-solution instinct will likely present itself. Before following that instinct, consider the alternative path the Object case study illuminates.

Ask what materials would serve the functional requirement while developing greater beauty over time. Explore how modular configurations might accommodate future changes in your spatial requirements. Consider whether additional features might enable graceful transition to secondary purposes once primary functions become less relevant. Evaluate the psychological dimension of how proposed solutions will affect the people who spend time in your spaces.

The considerations outlined above require more initial investment of attention and resources than default approaches. Yet thoughtful consideration transforms expenditure into asset creation. Careful evaluation converts functional compliance into brand communication. Deliberate planning replaces disposal costs with continuing value.

The research and development process behind Object required significant experimentation and iteration. The studio explored multiple approaches to fixing circular acrylic panels, seeking solutions that achieved both structural integrity and visual elegance. The team tested various methods for enabling connected configurations while maintaining aesthetic harmony. The investment of creative effort produced something that transcends the immediate functional category.

For enterprises seeking to build environments that reflect organizational values, the Object investment philosophy offers a compelling model. Every functional element in your space contributes to how that space feels and what the space communicates. When contributions are intentional rather than accidental, the cumulative effect strengthens brand identity in ways that explicit marketing cannot replicate.

Closing Reflections on Transforming Necessity into Legacy

The fourteen-month journey from observation to recognition that Object represents demonstrates something valuable for enterprise decision-makers. Functional requirements, even those arising from unexpected circumstances, can become opportunities for brand asset creation. The choice between temporary solution and lasting art belongs to the organization facing that requirement.

Akira Nakagomi Design chose to reject the premise that protective barriers must be disposable, forgettable, or aesthetically neutral. Through careful material selection, thoughtful modular engineering, and consideration of secondary purposes, the studio created something that enriches spaces rather than merely occupying them.

For your enterprise, future functional requirements will present similar choices. The materials you select will communicate something about your values. The configurations you enable will affect your flexibility. The psychological environment you create will influence everyone who enters your spaces. Each decision contributes to the cumulative character of your brand environment.

What functional elements currently occupy your spaces that could have been something more? And when the next requirement emerges, will your organization choose the path of temporary compliance or the path of lasting contribution?