I consider myself part of the Punkt. movement. I first fell for the international design company at the January 2011 edition of Maison & Objet in Paris, with the introduction of its very first product,
DP 01. I became a true convert at the September 2012 edition of Maison & Objet, with the introduction of its third product, ES 01. I applauded, from afar, the introduction of product number two, AC 01, during the April 2011 edition of I Saloni in Milan.
To translate: DP = DECT analog phone; ES = extension socket; AC = alarm clock. And the 01? That stands for the Switzerland-based company’s design philosophy of “one device, one function.”
Founded in 2008 by Petter Neby, Punkt. works with an in-house team of professionals and the world’s leading engineering firms. On board as art director is famed British industrial designer Jasper Morrison, who designed both DP 01 and AC 01; ES 01 was created by young, Barcelona-based Columbian designer George Moanack under Morrison’s direction.
Punkt.’s core values are “function, design and simplicity.” Further: “As companies add increasing numbers of features to their products, we went back to basics. What do people really need? Products built to do a job, and do that job well.”
To wit: DP 01 is made for one thing and one thing only – to make and receive phone calls; AC 01 wakes you up in the morning; ES 01 provides a convergence for all your cables and plugs (no matter what country you live in). All work straight out of the box: no instructions necessary. All feature impeccably clean lines and sharp visual concepts. All are iconic.
Punkt. is also a deeply ethical concern. It’s committed to defending human rights in all aspects of its business; selecting suppliers with a proven environmental track record; and ensuring its products are built to last in a world of overproduction of rapidly obsolete consumer goods. In 2011, it launched its first charity campaign, Punkt. for Japan: Still Time to Help (100 per cent of the profits from the sale of a limited-edition AC 01, designed by Morrison to represent the Japanese flag, go to Habitat for Humanity for reconstruction work in Japan).
It’s simple, really. What’s not to like? cI
