stone

The Joy of Writing on Paper, with an App

stone is a text composition application for mac OS that we conceptualized and designed at Nippon Design Center, focusing primarily on writing in Japanese. Released in 2017, it features only the minimal functions necessary for writing words, much like with paper and a pen.

The concept originated from our designers' thoughts: “Isn't a computer screen opened for writing actually cluttered?” and “Could we create an experience like writing on a blank sheet of paper?” Development progressed with the additional idea of applying Nippon Design Center's accumulated knowledge of text composition to the digital realm.

To allow for immersion in writing, we stripped away functions and displays, focusing on a “pure” screen where text appears beautifully composed. For stone, we also independently developed a dedicated text rendering engine. Whether writing vertically or horizontally, as you compose text freely, the words display with typesetting as meticulously arranged as if by a designer.

Client :

Nippon Design Center,Co., Ltd.

Year :

2017 -

Industry :

Web / App

Developed by the Nippon Design Center, “stone” is a text editor that makes people feel like writing.

Editing

We produced the PR booklet for the app entitled “stone paper.” The theme of the first edition is “Su (Plain).” It contains a section with the title “Plain Words,” introducing words that have a mysterious presence, as well as a section called “Plain People,” featuring written works by haiku poets, editors, playwrights, and copywriters.