ReThinking The Thumbtack

ReThinking The Thumbtack

ReThinking The Thumbtack

Client: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Only a designer or a design student would be bold enough to tamper with such an iconoclast as the thumbtack. But this simple yet clever update facilitates the many unauthorized services into which the conventional version is often pressed, such as hanging items or stringing wire or lights. This thumbtack redux’s horseshoe design allows for stringing cords, wires and hooks and the double pin design increases stability and strength while decreasing the number of tacks needed.

“With clever simplicity, an old idea has been refined and distilled in a meaningful way. Good design has expanded the market for this item by incorporating multiple uses that updates the product, and at the same time made it ergonomic.” -Shaun Jackson, IDSA, Shaun Jackson Design

Contact: Scott Kochlefl,
University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign,
217.365.9559;
[email protected]

Designers: Scott Kochlefl, Michael Vostal, Laura Naughton, Matthew Wertz and Teresa Barin of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign