Let me introduce to you my favorite thing. Block printing and silk-screening need test printing, which inevitably produces waste papers called yaregami in Japanese. What attracts my interest is memo pads made of these papers supposed to be thrown away.

They were produced by students majoring in graphic arts at Musashino Art University Museum & Library. When they voluntarily held a group exhibition, they weren’t happy to find the waste papers had no specific use. So, they decided to create these memo pads on the sidelines of the exhibition. Here are some reasons why I can feel empathy for their initiative:

1. They reuse papers to be discarded.
2. Each memo pad has its own uniqueness as it is made of a random stack of test-printed papers.
3. You may find rare pieces of test printing papers of art professors’ works among a random stack of waste papers as if to roll a gacha.
4.  Their efforts stand out as highly artistic.

From a social point of view, it’s very important to make good use of waste papers instead of throwing them away. That’s true. But what stands out in these memo pads is their originality, scarcity and artistic features characteristic to art students. A student who participates in my class at the university introduced this initiative to me. As an instructor at the university, I have been given various kinds of information from many students, which in turn inspire me  with my design activities.

A small yet witty idea can add color to our daily lives. I think that’s one of the distinctive features of design.

Kosuke Inoue
CMFG Design Dept.
Senior Director