KDDI au: au design project

Around the year 2000, when the folding “clamshell” style of mobile phone was about to become the norm for phone design, we began to hear many complaints that all the phones looked the same, and that people wanted a phone with a more advanced design. The au design project traces its origins to our movement to answer these requests. In May 2001, just as an auto manufacturer introduces beautiful concept cars to the public, we unveiled three concept phones: info.bar, rotary, and wearable. These were our experiments in reconsidering the mobile phone from the perspective of its design, to search for the truly unique and attractive phone that people really wanted and were subconsciously creating in their minds. We received many requests to make these widely-praised prototypes available as actual products, leading to the October 2003 launch of the INFOBAR, which was largely based on the info.bar design.

Since then, the au design project has become a trailblazer, introducing one revolutionary prototype and product after another and having a tremendous impact on trends in mobile phone design. As proof of our achievements, three of the project’s products--INFOBAR, talby, neon, and the MEDIA SKIN were chosen for the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Through the au design project, we will continue to bring excitement and inspiration to people’s everyday lives through our revolutionary phone designs that are infused with new concepts and new ideas.

Under the title “au 200X Collection,” the following prototypes were unveiled at the Business Show 2001 TOKYO KDDI booth.
info.bar (designed by Naoto Fukasawa)
rotary, wearable (designed by Takashi Nikaido)

The GRAPPA and GRAPPA 002 prototypes (designed by Ichiro Iwasaki) were created.

Under the title “au design project,” the following prototypes were unveiled at the Business Show 2002 TOKYO KDDI booth.
info.bar, ishicoro (designed by Naoto Fukasawa)

The apollo and apollo 02 prototypes (designed by Ichiro Higashiizumi) were created.

The talby prototype (designed by Marc Newson) was unveiled at the Business Show 2003 TOKYO KDDI booth.

INFOBAR (designed by Naoto Fukasawa), the first product from the au design project, was unveiled and released.

W11K (designed by Naoto Fukasawa), the second product from the au design project, was unveiled and released in December.

talby (designed by Marc Newson), the third product from the au design project, was unveiled. It was released in November.

PENCK (designed by Makoto Saito), the fourth product from the au design project, was unveiled and released.

The MEDIA SKIN prototype (designed by Tokujin Yoshioka) was unveiled at the Meiji Shrine Seitoku Memorial Exhibition Hall in Tokyo.

The MACHINA and HEXAGON prototypes (designed by Naoki Sakai and Nao Tamura) were unveiled at the Tokyo Designer’s Week 2005 Container Exhibition.

neon (designed by Naoto Fukasawa), the fifth product from the au design project, was unveiled. It was released in February.

KDDI exhibited at the Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition in Milan, Italy.
The products INFOBAR, W11K, talby, PENCK, and neon as well as prototypes MEDIA SKIN, MACHINA, and HEXAGON were displayed.

A special INFOBAR exhibition was held at the KDDI Designing Studio, and the INFOBAR 2 prototype (designed by Naoto Fukasawa) was unveiled.

The Trilogy exhibition was held at the KDDI Designing Studio, at which the following prototypes were unveiled.
cypres (designed by Nao Tamura), kaos (designed by Bradley Fraser), and vols (designed by Ross McBride)

It was announced that the INFOBAR, talby, and neon products and the MEDIA SKIN prototype were selected for the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

The sixth au design project product, MEDIA SKIN (designed by Tokujin Yoshioka) was unveiled.
It was released in March.

An exhibition on interface design entitled “Things that Mobiles have forgotten to take along --- Keitai ga Keitai Shiwasureteitamono” was held at the KDDI Designing Studio, at which the following prototypes were unveiled.
sorato, hitoka (designed by Chie Morimoto)
actface (designed by Team Lab)

INFOBAR 2 (designed by Naoto Fukasawa), the seventh product in the au design project, is unveiled.

【Awards】: 2003 Good Design Award (New Frontier Design Category)

【Awards】: 2003 Good Design Award
Design for Asia Award 2004, Grand Award
iF product design award 2005 (Germany); Shogakukan “DIME” 2003 Shogakukan DIME Trend Award Business & IT Gold Prize
Sony Magazines “DigiMono Station” DigiMono of the Year 2003 Communications and Mobile Awards & Judges’ Special Awards
Magazine House “POPEYE” ’03 Digital Design of the Year Gold Prize
Impress “Keitai Watch” Ranked number one Phone of the Year as chosen by readers 2003
“Mono Magazine” Super Goods of the Year Jury’s Special Award, Design Award

【Collections】: Chosen for JIDA Design Museum Selection
Chosen for The Museum of Modern Art (New York) collection

【Exhibitions】: Israel Museum “Architecture + Design in Japan” exhibition (July 29-September, 2004)
Belgium: 'Interieur 04 fair in Kortrijk in Belgium' exhibit (October 15-24, 2004)
Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Naoto Fukasawa “Ariso de Naimono” exhibition (November 11, 2004-January 23, 2005)
Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)

【Exhibitions】: Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, Naoto Fukasawa “Ariso de Naimono” exhibition (November 11, 2004-January 23, 2005)
Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)

【Awards】: 2004 Good Design Award
Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award 2005

【Collections】: International Design Yearbook 2005 (prototype)
Endowed to the FNAC (National Foundation of Contemporary Art), France
Chosen for The Museum of Modern Art (New York) collection

【Exhibitions】: talby prototype displayed at the Groninger Museum (Netherlands) Marc Newson exhibition
London Design Museum (England) Marc Newson exhibition
Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)

【Awards】: 2005 Good Design Award
Chicago Athenaeum Good Design Award 2005

【Collections】: Chosen for Die Neue Sammlung (Germany) permanent collection

【Exhibitions】: Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)

【Awards】: 2006 Good Design Award

【Collections】: Chosen for The Museum of Modern Art (New York) collection

【Exhibitions】: Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)
Super Normal exhibition (June 9-July 2, 2006, Roppongi AXIS Gallery and traveling exhibition in London and other locations)
The Museum of Applied Arts Frankfurt (Design) “Katachi – contemporary applied art from Japan” exhibition (April 28-August 26, 2007)

【Awards】: 2007 Good Design Award Gold Prize

【Collections】: Chosen for The Museum of Modern Art (New York) collection

【Exhibitions】: Good Design Award 50 Years exhibition (April 5-10 2006, Milan, Italy)

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