社内デザインコンペなんていったら大げさだが簡易的にそれらしき事をやってみた。定期的な月に一度の飲み会で乾杯から最初の１時間に行う余興だ。ルールはA4の普通紙に１人１案の一発勝負。プレゼン時間は1人３分。優勝賞金１万円。KOMA shopで使う備品や小物から新人でも参加できそうなお題を店長が決めて審査まで行う。大喜利に近い感覚で盛り上がることが目的である。今回は「傘立て」shopの備品と言えどできれば「いくつか作って販売できる物にしたい」ようするに値段をつけたいということだ。プロと趣味との根本的な違いが生じる。こうなると急にものづくりが難しくなる。親方の役割としていろいろ迷ったが第一回はあえて「ムカつく勝ち方」ってのを見せる事にした。世の中の「勝ちにくる人たち」ってどれくらいマジでぶっ潰しにくるか、今後のKOMA-1GPをもっと盛り上げる為に半分遊びだけど真剣勝負の基準になればとの思いからだ。今回はみんなが出してくるアイデアを予想して片っ端から理屈でつめて消去法で排除する提案だ。なんと言ってもテーマはムカつく勝ち方だ。まず条件を考える。傘立てだ。屋外使用の可能性もあり、そもそも木は水との相性が悪い。椅子などのように座り心地などの分かりやすい差別化が出来ない。劣化の可能性が高く組んだり接いだりの加工はNG。狂いやワレ、カビの可能性が高く板を使うのもNG。せっかく手間を掛けて良いモノを作ってもすぐに劣化してしまいクレーム対象になる。また、KOMAにとっては数が出る商材ではないから在庫を抱えるのも、鉄など異素材の外注を使うのもNG。塗装でコーティングというのもKOMAでやる仕事ではない。こうなるとKOMAでつくる傘立ては成立しない。あらゆる面でリスクが高くウチにはそもそも向かない商材だ。それぞれみんな面白かったが予想どおり直球の木製傘立てを提案して来た。これで出揃ったみんなのアイデアは全部NGだ。さあここからが本番。おおトリで俺のプレゼン。少し話が脱線するが、材質の特性だったり予算だったりと理由は様々だが、今回のようにデザインが成立しないという事は珍しくない。そんな時は、例えば「椅子」のデザインではなく「座る道具」のデザインとして考えると幅が広がり、固執しないで発想が自由になる事がある。今回の傘立てはウチが木で作るにはリスクが多いが「傘を置く道具」だったら可能性はいくらでもある。だから「傘立てそのものは作らない」壁に外壁用の両面テープで木の突起を付けてそこに笠の柄をひっかけるだけ。組手も接ぎも無いから壊れない。物が小さいから狂いやワレのリスクが少ない。安価で数年してダメになったら付け替えればいい。お客さんが欲しい寸法や形にオーダーで応えれば良いから在庫リスクも無い。あらゆる面のリスクが回避できる。なんとなくこんなイメージだ。（詳しくは実際にKOMAshopに取り付けてからお伝えします。）何れにしてもジャッジはKOMAshop店長の久美さんだ。だけどもう答えは見えている。売る人にとって劣化などの品質に対するリスクは絶対に避けたい。主力商品でない物の在庫リスクも避けたい。「え〜それだけ〜？一生懸命考えたのに〜！」と肩透かしを食らったような若い衆。「んなもん何回転も考えてのコレなんだよ！笑」これは単純に経験値の差というやつだ。１万時間の法則なんていうのを聞いた事がある。才能を開花させるのに最低限必要な時間だ。毎日８〜１０時間で約３年。最低限これをクリアしなければどんな才能も開花しないという事らしい。たった３年で？そりゃよっぽど才能のある人に限ってだと思う。俺の場合もう１８年になる。結構みっちり６万時間やってきたつもりだが、その分だけは出来るようになっただけで今のところ才能が開花した様子はない。修行を始めた頃「お前は才能がないから他の仕事をした方が良い」と親方衆からよく言われたが、なるほど納得でその通りなのだろう。だけど続ける根性さえあれば好きなことやってメシが食えるようになる。この１８年で知ったことだ。ただ「良い家具が作れるようになりたい」と最初からずっと変わらず今でも同じように思っている。優勝賞金の１万円は「松岡さん会社の経費つかい過ぎ！」武内マイちゃんの一言で、俺の財布に入る前に没収されてしまった。来月のKOMA-1GPのお題は「ゴミ箱」らしい。また本気で勝ちにいこうと思う。写真は、KOMA-1GPと同時に行った佐藤２１歳の誕生会。毎回みんなそれぞれ誕生会のプレゼントはかなり気合いを入れる。今回は上着、バッグ、ヘルメット、インテリア小物、オイルライターなど。写真にもあるようにかなり豪華だ。だから「何にするの？もう決めた？」なんて本人にバレないように相談しながらけっこう悩む。貰う方はもちろん選ぶ方も楽しいイベントだから今後も程良く続けていきたいと思っている。 It would be too much to call it as "the design competition in the firm", while we tried to conduct concisely something like that. It has been done as one hour opening performance just after the toast of the monthly drinking party. The rule is defined as the one shot competition one idea per person presented in A4 size paper. 3 minutes are allowed for a person to present his/her idea. The winner's prize is JPY10,000. The store manager decides theme, which even new joiners would be able to participate including equipments in KOMA shop and small articles, and evaluates presentations. It is aimed to be fun something like Japanese Oogiri game. The them this time is "the umbrella stand". It would be one of equipment of KOMA shop, however, "we would like to make it as sellable products with making several inver tories." In other words, we would like to price them. This makes fundamental difference between works made by professionals and hobby for amateurs. Then, it suddenly make difficult to manufacture the work. I had been dwelling how to participate it as the master of the factory, I made up my mind to demonstrate "how to win disgusting others" for the first time. I took this approach showing the standard of partially serious at the same time partially pleasure so that KOMA-1 GP completions to become exiting events in the future demonstrating how those who take results seriously try to win. With expectations of ideas employees are supposed to make, I planned to disprove competitors' presentations and exclude them. The theme is winning disgusting competitors. Thinking of conditions first. The umbrella stand. It may be used outside and woods may not be good fit to water. Unlike chairs which can be relatively easily differentiated each others through comfortableness, it would be difficult to differentiate the umbrella stand. Given high possibility for the deterioration, it would not be good to process in assembling and/or joining. Given high possibility for distortions, cracks, and mold, wooden board would not be good. Even when high quality products are made with lengthy of time spent, it would be subject to claims due to deterioration before long. Also, given the expectation to sell small number of sales, it would not be good to have large number of the inventory as well as utilizing materials other than woods through outsourcing a part of the process. It would not be KOMA products to be coated with paint. Considering above, the umbrella stand would not be executable in KOMA. Given higher risks from various angles, it would not be suitable product in KOMA. Each presentation was interesting, while as expected, each was presentation just straight of the umbrella stand. So, none of the idea won the competition. So, here goes the main part. The last presenter was me. Let me slightly deviate from the main topic, it would not be rare for some design products to executable due to various reasons including features of materials, budgets, etc. Under such circumstances, depending on situations, we may be able to think outside the box, for example, designing "tools for sitting" instead of chairs. This time, the umbrella stand would be risky for KOMA to make from woods, however, there are many possibilities as "tools for placing umbrellas". So, "I would not like to make the umbrella stand itself." Adhering a protuberance with double-sided tape for the exterior wall of houses, then, just hanging the handle of the umbrella. It would not be broken without assembles and joints. Given small size, there is minimal risks for distortions or cracks. Due to its lower price, it can be replaced when it will no longer perform as expected. There would not be any inventory risks because it will be manufactured by clients' orders. Any sort or risks would be avoided. It would be something like the picture below. (it will be shown after it is adhering to KOMA shop) Anyway, the judge is the store manager of the KOMA shop, Kumi-san. However, her judge is obvious. For sellers, risks for quality including aged deteriorations need to be avoided as much as possible. Also, inventory risks of no-core products may need to be avoided. Younger employees seemed to be disappointed with the result saying, "What ? That is it ? I seriously thought it through !" "This idea is invented after several times trials !" It would be just simply difference in experiences. I heard about the law of 10,000 hours. It would be the minimum amount of time to bloom talents. It would take three years when one spends on the item 8 to 10 hours a day. It seems that any talent cannot be bloomed unless one spends on the subject at least this minimum length of time. Does it take only 3 years ? It would be applicable for extremely gifted person. I have spent 18 years. I have spent fully 60,000 hours in making furnitures and my capability seems to have grown up accordingly, however, I have not realized any blooming of talent. When I started training, masters frequently told me "you would be better to find other occupations without any talent observed.", which seems to be true. However, you would be able to make your life on what you would like to devote if you have guts to continue it. I have realized it in 18 years. I have still kept hoping " I would like to make good furnitures." from the beginning to the present. JPY10,000 as winning prize was confiscated before put into my wallet with Mai-chan's comment "Matsuoka-san has spent too much company expenses !" The theme of KOMA-1 GP next month would be "Trash Box". I would like to win seriously. The picture was taken at the birthday party of Sato in his 21 years old which was held just after the KOMA-1 GP. Members have been seriously thinking through what kinds of gifts for each birthday party. This time, gifts are jacket, bag, helmet, interior goods, oil lighter, etc. As shown in the picture, they are gorgeous. So, we are thinking through it exchanging ideas keeping it secret to the celebratee. It would be fun for both celebrators and celebratees, thus, I would like to continue it rightly. Written by Shigeki Matsuoka
