Business travellers usually carry a range of cables, connectors and swanky IT kit around with them so my dumb phone and MacBook Pro seldom get a second glance. However, my travel adaptor turns heads. Its a green semi-translucent plastic number thats branded Fuji (as in Fuji film) and a really neat piece of product design.
I am sure that Fuji just had a canny buyer who got several thousand knocked out by an anonymous smoke-stack business in China, the design is one that the factory probably does for serveral people under different brands.
Despite the adaptors humble origins, its unknown product designer who deserves some proper recognition.
I lucked out when I found my first one at a Dixons store airside at Heathrow on my way to San Francisco. No more carting around stubby pieces of white fragile plastic that interconnect into one and other, instead one small block that does everything.
When I flew to Dresden this month, my trusty adaptor went with me, however you have no idea of the horror I had when I left it in a hotel room by accident. The cleaning staff didn't hand it in so I had a frantic hunt around the web for a new one, after trawling through Froogle and Shopping.com Kelkoo came good with a reasonably priced item by Misco.
Now I keep a close eye on my new one, I have already had a couple of American clients looking at it enviously. It just goes to show, good design sells.
I am sure that Fuji just had a canny buyer who got several thousand knocked out by an anonymous smoke-stack business in China, the design is one that the factory probably does for serveral people under different brands.
Despite the adaptors humble origins, its unknown product designer who deserves some proper recognition.
I lucked out when I found my first one at a Dixons store airside at Heathrow on my way to San Francisco. No more carting around stubby pieces of white fragile plastic that interconnect into one and other, instead one small block that does everything.
When I flew to Dresden this month, my trusty adaptor went with me, however you have no idea of the horror I had when I left it in a hotel room by accident. The cleaning staff didn't hand it in so I had a frantic hunt around the web for a new one, after trawling through Froogle and Shopping.com Kelkoo came good with a reasonably priced item by Misco.
Now I keep a close eye on my new one, I have already had a couple of American clients looking at it enviously. It just goes to show, good design sells.
