Tominaga, who is in early thirties, took over a toy assembling business from the printing company of his relatives and founded his own company in 2004. The name of the company, SOZ, is derived from the Japanese word, “SOZO (creation).” For SOZ, creativity is the most important key concept. Their products are inscribed with the catchphrase, “ART TOY FOR CREATORS,” on their packages. The company’s feature product series, CARPENTER BLOCK, is a set of flat blocks, which, unlike conventional ones in cubic form, provide more freedom to create objects. While the product was originally marketed as an educational toy for children, the renewal of its packaging design eventually became the onset of the product branding. The story began when one student from a design college asked Tominaga if he could design a new package for the blocks. With his firm belief in the potential of the product, Tominaga accepted the student’s proposal, which led to a smart-looking new package that sufficiently appeals to adults’ sensibility. An innovative, sophisticated image of the blocks was further enhanced by developing additional products such as an easy kit and a guide booklet.
The renewed CARPENTER BLOCK gradually started attracting public attention. Last April, the company opened its direct store in the shopping complex of Namba, Osaka, where a wide range of customers come and buy the blocks as a gift for children or as a new addition to a room’s décor. Depending on the combination of the blocks’ sizes, shapes, and colors, the product can be enjoyed in a variety of ways to create small objects such as animals and pen stands or larger items such as lamp shades, stools, and counter tables. Such diversity is obviously the key to the product’s appeal to different generations, which is not the case of traditional blocks.
