Syn Universal Calendar by Jia Sheng Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Silver A' Design Award in Homeware Design Competition Category.
SilverHomeware· 2025
Syn Universal Calendar
Client: Forenext Design
Silver A' Design Award Winner in Homeware Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #162626The Design
About Syn Universal Calendar
Syn is an innovative calendar/ monthly planner featuring a unique layout for various and universal time intervals. It is designed as a mechanical, three dimensional planner that assists people in organizing tasks and events without using a digital application. Inspired by the philosophy of Lo Tek Design, it optimizes the use of a physical calendar, providing more detailed information. The structure design adapted the pattern of time, making it universal to any month and day. It can assist in tracking and recording events over a comfortable length of time.
The Recognition
About the Silver A' Design Award
Syn Universal Calendar is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. Syn Universal Calendar is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Syn Universal Calendar is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.
Where to Get It
Innovative Product Design Services
We transform ideas into award-winning designs that blend cultural innovation with modern functionality. Our multidisciplinary studio specializes in creating unique experiences through decorative items, homeware, and visionary products. From concept to realization, we deliver creative solutions that challenge conventions.
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Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to the Syn Universal Calendar, transitioning from digital to mechanical interaction, represents a fascinating return to tactile experiences - could you elaborate on how the Lo-Tek design philosophy influenced this three-dimensional interpretation of time management?
The most common time management tools are either two-dimensional or digital applications. I honor that the approaches we currently use, such as paper calendars and digital planners, etc, are adequate and sufficient for modern applications. However, this also inspired me to consider alternatives to the one we do not have. Time management tools are essential for the development of human civilization. This is the key point I question for this project: What can we learn from the past? The form factors, usages, scenarios, limits, and materials. Many ancient time management tools have existed across different cultures throughout history, each representing its rich origin and profound impact. It is a tool forged by time and generations of usage. They are unique, intriguing, and represent a different way of thinking. However, many interesting elements seem to have been lost in time. Therefore, this is the reason I developed the project, which utilizes Lo-Tek philosophy to create a new calendar that celebrates the past while looking to the present.
The Syn Universal Calendar features a unique clock-like structure with adjustable pointers - what inspired you to reimagine the traditional calendar format into this dynamic, interactive mechanical system?
Its form is inspired by the “Quipu” an ancient Andean South American linguistic system using knots tied in wool or ropes to record important events. Calendars should provide sufficient information that people would want to know. The adjustable pointers and details can maximize the space for information while keeping the sleek shape. The semantics of the object should be straightforward, and a clock-like appearance fits perfectly to tell its purpose.
Your Silver A' Design Award-winning Syn Universal Calendar addresses our increasing reliance on digital tools - how does this analog solution enhance the user experience of time planning and event organization?
Reflecting on the amount of time people spend on screen usage, planning an event, or scheduling a meeting is usually between typing and clicking. Based on the broad scope of this single approach, it is efficient, accessible, and effective for all people. However, this format also narrows the images of how modern people view time management and limits the possibility of developing innovative things. The solution is to increase the interaction between the user and the object, making people more engaged rather than just clicking on the screen. The clock-like time chart can give you an overall idea of your time planning, and also provide enough details to allow you to know when and what to do. It is an aesthetic and practical combination.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Syn is an innovative calendar/ monthly planner featuring a unique layout for various and universal time intervals. It is designed as a mechanical, three-dimensional planner that assists people in organizing tasks and events without using a digital application.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 300 mm x Depth 130 mm x Height 418 mm
- Tags
- Calendar, Planner, Information, Universal, Time, Interaction, Innovative, Traditional Knowledge, Transitional
- Production Technology
- Laser-cut Acrylic/glass pointers with printed/engraving numbers, Aluminum Cnc frame with engraving features, rubber gaskets for pointers, metal rod core post, and plastic pointer keys.
- Design Challenge
- Preserving the unique form and interaction with humans are two challenging goals. Besides, due to the pattern of the day and month, normal calendars are challenged to be flexible enough to adapt to all date changes. However, Syn’s innovative structure design overcomes this problem, making it able to apply to any month and date.
- Research
- Reflecting humans' reliance on digital products, the project explores the notion of non-electric structures to create an object with a unique experience. By researching the philosophy of Lo-Tek design and exploring traditional knowledge, Syn calendar transitions traditional innovation and modern usage, creating new form factors for an innovative calendar.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the philosophy of Lo-Tek design, the project draws ideas from traditional knowledge. Syn transitions traditional innovation and modern usage, creating new form factors for the object. It is designed to adapt to modern calendar usage. Its time units are placed carefully to provide a unique experience. Furthermore, it reflects humans' reliance on digital products and explores the notion of non-electric structures to achieve the goal.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2024 and finished in June 2024 in Los Angeles and was showcased on the internet.
- Operation Flow
- Syn calender is a clock-like three-dimensional calendar. People can adjust the time by switching the pointers. Each pointer shows printed numbers as dates. The engraved mark on the aluminum frame presents the general hours of the day, and the pin placement and multiple-color design represent and help people identify different events.
- Team Members
- Forenext Design Team
- Image Credits
- All content created by Forenext Design Studio
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