Today’s society typically feels the need to design an object as a solution for every modern day office’s problems. While great in theory, the realization of these objects can prove to be impractical and wasteful. Nonetheless, we try to appreciate the initial enthusiasm and clever marketing of these objects until we realize that the applications are limited and often more costly than what is already available.

The cubic rubber band is the product of Japanese design house, Nendo. They are aesthetically pleasing and clever in terms of design. They were designed to reduce interior desk clutter and are easier to pick out than the traditional rubber band. However, a pack of 3 will cost around 1080 yen, or 10.00 USD. In addition, these rubber bands are small in size (2cm x 2cm x 2cm) and have very limited practical use when compared to the standard rubber band. A one-pound bag of rubber bands can be bought for much less and serve more purpose than these cube-bands.

Frustrations between a medical doctor and his son regarding the “sit-down” workplace encouraged them to design the ZestDesk, a lightweight, portable addition to a desk or table to transform it into a “standing desk.” Essentially, it’s a redesigned nightstand with adjustable legs that cannot be used as a standalone desk with a normal office chair. Rather than burden employees with having to carry around this desk addition, an office can invest in height adjustable desks. Rather than disrupt workflow by clearing one’s desk to place the ZestDesk, modern height adjustable desks can be raised and lowered with the touch of a finger.

The Easy Pencil, by Akio Hayakawa, is a redesign of the standard wood and graphite pencil. The graphite material does not follow the entire length of the pencil; it stops at the point at which the pencil cannot be held properly or comfortably. It saves a bit of graphite, yet still leaves a good amount of wood left over after it reaches its life cycle. Unsurprisingly, the criticisms that the pencil faced on FastCo.Design where it was featured were negative. One reader commented, “This is a design solution in search of a problem.”

These designs exploit what many would consider to be minor problems. Rather than dealing with them, designers have taken matters into their own hands to create specialized solutions that they would like the world to embrace. With every single problem in the modern office, we can expect people to design an object that attempts to solve them.

Information and images courtesy of (C)FastCo.Design and (C)designboom