Is ‘small things’ a category or a philosophy?

Both. The category is small household objects that solve everyday friction. The philosophy is that those objects should be quiet, well-made, and barely noticed.

Physical goods live in homes for years. Speed in the design phase becomes annoyance for the customer later. We would rather take longer and ship something that lasts.

What is the first product going to be?

The armrest tray for couches, eventually. That is still about five years out from a clean version in 2018. It will be worth the wait.

New year, small things: a brand idea taking shape

The small-things bet

A year into the brand notebook, the bet was clear: the most useful objects in a home are usually the least visible ones. A doorstop you never think about. A drawer organizer that just works. A cup holder that holds the cup.

These objects rarely get talked about because there is nothing to say. They do the job. You stop thinking about them. The product disappears into the routine. That is the highest form of success for a household object, and the hardest to design for.

Why this is countercultural for 2018

Most consumer brands in 2018 are loud. They want you to notice the product, talk about it, share it. Their packaging is bright. Their copy uses too many adjectives. Their main feature is novelty.

Novelty fails the small-things test. You notice a novel object every time you see it. The friction of noticing is itself the failure. The right object becomes invisible.

Three brands I am studying

MUJI. Restraint as the central value. No logo on the product. Almost no copy on the package.
Joseph Joseph. Clever solutions to small kitchen problems. The cleverness is the point, but the object is still quiet.
Snow Peak. Outdoor gear that looks like it belongs indoors. The opposite of camping aesthetic.

What this means for the first product

Whatever we make first has to pass three tests:

Does it solve a daily friction without adding a new one.
Would I put it on my coffee table without apology.
Will it still look the same after a year of use.

If a product fails any of those, it does not get to wear the brand name.

The plan for 2018

Spend the year on samples. Test three product candidates from the notebook. Get the first prototype of the armrest tray to a place where it does not embarrass us. Find a supplier who can hold tolerances on heavy silicone. Make a logo that is allowed to be boring.

None of this will move fast. That is the point. The small-things bet pays off over years, not months.