WHO
Pana Objects
WHAT
Creates simple and meaningful wooden products
WHEN
early 2012 – present
WHERE
Bangkok, Thailand
WHY
To put the emotion back into everyday life and make it more meaningful by using woodcraft to create products that will timelessly accompany people’s lives, both aesthetically and functionally.
WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FROM OTHERS IN YOUR FIELD?
Besides bridging the gap between industrial CNC methods and wood craft, what makes us shine is our diverse backgrounds. Before we created the brand we were working in different branches of design, ranging from industrial design consultancy, graphics, branding and furniture to even working as a manufacturing supervisor. This mixture becomes really helpful when developing a product and even more so a brand. On top of being friends, our chemistry is strengthened through a shared passion for woodcrafts.
That would be Sir Jonathan Ive, Naoto Fukasawa and Sam Hecht from Industrial Facility. Simply because their works and intentions to make people’s lives more meaningful via design is what inspired us all at Pana Objects. Having a chance to observe these designers converse would be a great gift for us. WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
We discussed this very early on, when we were first conceptualizing the idea behind Pana Objects. What kickstarted us was our observation that everyday lives have been dominated by synthetic objects. You’ve got almost the same soulless mobile phone make as that of plastic pallets fitted in the same factory, put together by workers in China. We wanted to offer something else, things that carried meaning beyond fads or trends, and of course synthetic objects. So that’s why we gave birth to our brand, Pana Object, which means “creations from the forest” (Pana is a Thai word for “forest”).
WHAT DESIGN TOOL CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
Pen, Pencil, Paper and Mitutoyo’s vernier caliper.
NAME A BOOK YOU THINK EVERY CREATIVE SHOULD READ.
‘Never Mind the Sizzle….Where’s the Sausage: Branding Based on Substance Not Spin’ by David Taylor. This may not sound very design-led, but our profession has a bad reputation for having zero knowledge when it comes to doing business. This book will enlighten you. It’s easy to read and comes with a useful framework and tips; if you manage to apply your design knowledge with those tips, this book will take you far.