Case study 05 of 07 · Stationery
A desk pencil sharpener with its own pencil holder. Freshly sharpened pencils stand safely upright instead of rolling off the desk and breaking their tips.
The client heard the same complaint again and again from its sales channels: sharpened pencils roll off the desk easily, and the tips snap when they fall.
It wanted a product that solved this specific, everyday problem.
The team ran brainstorming sessions with the client to settle the direction, and arrived at a new idea: a sharpener with a built-in pencil holder.
Sharpen, then drop the pencil straight into the holder. The product was given a friendly, playful character so that it feels like a small companion on the desk.
Design details
An integrated storage compartment keeps sharpened pencils upright and protects their tips.
Soft, fully rounded shapes make the sharpener friendly and safe to handle.
A transparent body shows the mechanism and makes it easy to see when shavings need emptying.
A cheerful look and simple crank action make sharpening a small pleasure and give the desk a warm, friendly companion.
Gallery
Development
Each stage was reviewed before the next began. Services: appearance design, structural design, injection moulding and assembly.
Friendly form and colour designed around the pencil holder idea.
Sharpening mechanism, holder and shavings compartment engineered into one body.
Transparent and coloured parts moulded and assembled for production.
The result
A real complaint from the market became a distinctive product. The sharpener improved the client's brand recognition and competitiveness, and helped drive sales growth.
Developed with our design and manufacturing partner, AYWU (艾屋科技). Client names are kept confidential.
Tell us what it’s for, who it’s for and how many you need. We’ll take it from first sketch to finished product.