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Whipsaw’s partnership with DG TAKANO started with their innovative Bubble90 Extreme Water-Saving Nozzle. The Bubble90 uses 80% less water and offers better cleaning power than a regular tap with a patented Pulsation Flow technology. It’s currently the world’s best water-saving technology and in a world where water resources are increasingly a concern, we believe that products like the DG TAKANO faucet deserve market-winning design.
When DG TAKANO approached us with this revolutionary technology we leaned on our decades of experience designing products that blend seamlessly into our everyday lives. A faucet is a classic industrial design challenge - we use them countless times each day. Consider, for a moment, how many faucets exist in the world.
The DG TAKANO faucet is singularly different. First, like many founders that we work with, DG TAKANO has spent more than a decade (since 2009!) perfecting the internal technologies and innovations. Their commitment to developing environmentally sustainable technology is lauded both in Japan and globally. And those who install their faucets see a notable decrease in water usage along with a “huge difference in their water bills,” according to Sora News. This commitment to creating sustainable solutions which also enhance efficiency and the user experience is lauded both in Japan and globally, and extends beyond technological innovation to search for a unique and inspired design.
Whipsaw partnered with DG TAKANO to design the faucet around the Bubble90 technology, while creating a product flexible enough to fit different washing styles around the world. We were tasked with designing multiple faucets for a variety of use cases. The Melior Faucet has launched and is focused on residential kitchens, with other innovations to follow. For this faucet, Whipsaw focused on pure industrial design, in particular the form and aesthetics.
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The design innovations include the floating cord and visible mechanics of the faucet. The user starts to connect with the fundamentals of tubing, with the sculptural elements of a commercial kitchen coil spring faucet implied in the Whipsaw design. We stripped the faucet to its essentials, which freed up the water tube, allowing it to be much more maneuverable. The faucet head can be aimed in any direction without having to break it away from the stand, which is in contrast to current kitchen faucets, where the docking position is straight on. This faucet has infinite possibilities, enabled by an innovative magnetic ball joint.
Paring the faucet back to its essentials also made it simpler to manufacture and to service. Because we use less materials than a standard gooseneck, the design itself is more sustainable, which perfectly complements DG TAKANO’s mission. Even though we reduced the mass, we still designed for longevity and the product should last for years, even under soap, water, and harsh chemicals. The DG TAKANO faucet’s flexibility and design innovation make the product a great fit for professional and private kitchens around the world.
“It’s unique, it doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before. There are very few faucets that capture your attention. Faucets are usually standard. This one looks totally different because you’ve stripped away so many components. It makes you want to interact with it. “
- Cole Derby, Whipsaw Director of Industrial Design
Whipsaw is proud to collaborate with clients around the globe. DG TAKANO is based in Japan and our team included native Japanese speakers and multilingual speakers, which made our collaboration easier. This project had a very high level of precision with the design combined with the inventiveness and ingenuity of American designers. We believe that the best work happens with diverse teams working towards ambitious goals.
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