Kickstarter

***We're excited to announce that MOTATOE has just teamed up with FUNimation to create EXCLUSIVE Cardboard AboutFaceClocks based on their popular Anime Series:

"FAIRY TAIL" and "HETALIA AXIS POWERS" ! ***

***and now, last minute: BLACK BUTLER too!***

These fun, bright, creative graphic designs are available for $35 in the Rewards column to the right, which includes shipping & handling, tax if applicable, etc! This represents a discount off the future anticipated price in retail stores.

Hi! Thanks for checking out our project.

The innovative and patent-pending AboutFaceClock is designed by me, Mark Ejnes. I’m an architect and product designer in Santa Monica, California and founder of MOTATOE, a start-up design company.

The AboutFaceClock hangs on a wall, on a corner, or on a ceiling, and can face any direction...You decide.

Or simply stand it on a desk or shelf.

It comes with a custom-designed "puck+hanger" mounting bracket which can be attached to any surface. Simply hang the clock on the puck+hanger in whichever direction you choose using any of the holes on back. And to face it another direction, there's no need to move the puck. Just take off the clock, turn it about-face, or any other direction, and re-hang it using any of the other holes on back. And be sure to adjust the hands to set the correct time for any new orientation. You'll see pretty quickly, that because there aren't any numerals on the face, the clock can be rotated and still work in any direction.

The AboutFaceClock will come in 2 different shapes - Rectangular and Round, and in 2 materials - powder coated STEEL, which makes for a sturdy, elegant and sculptural design object, and also in printed CARDBOARD. The cardboard is the lower-cost alternative with obvious advantages-- easier manufacturing, and we were able to create dozens of super fun and cool graphics printed right on the clocks in subject ranging from Art+Architecture, Food, Sports, Pop Culture, Nature and so much more.

The metal clocks come with four line magnets, that can be re-positioned on the face to denote the 12, 3, 6 and 9 for any new angle. That just adds a little bit of extra graphic legibility when reading the time. The cardboards have hinged tabs at each hour mark that serve the same purpose - they can be popped in or out to denote the 12, 3, 6 and 9 for any different clock angle.

See www.motatoedesign.com for all the current designs and graphics in the works.

It started as a very simple idea.

I came up with the concept for the clock when I noticed that a typical flat clock is usually mounted near the middle of a room, so it’s seen from most of the space. So, I imagined a clock that could be put in the corner, or on a side-wall, or on a ceiling or anywhere else-- and still be seen. This meant it would have to hang at different angles and be changeable. And without numerals, it could also be rotated and still work by adjusting the hands.

After dozens of sketches and paper models and metal prototypes, I finalized a multi-faceted shape that allowed it to be hung at a full range of angles off the wall - 0, 45, 60, 75 and 90 degrees. And it could hang on a corner too. I also developed a new mounting bracket - the "puck+hanger" that allowed for all those possible angles and any rotation too. The clock was also designed to be constructed from a single sheet of laser-cut and hand-formed steel.

So, in the end, the clock's minimal aesthetics and elegance is derived directly from it's functional considerations -- the multi-angular form, the way the clock mounts, and the desire for straightforward manufacturing. These considerations have elevated this simple clock well beyond the typical everyday item we're all used to seeing, and into a hanging sculpture - a unique design object that casts different shadows for any different position you decide on.

The development of a cardboard clock was a natural progression once we needed packaging and got introduced to the cardboard display industry and their customization abilities. We collaborated with a renowned paper-artist and veteran of the industry to develop the incredibly creative folding structures that replicate the rectangular and round metal shapes, as well as all the packaging. These cardboard structures, which are also designed from a single sheet, have an elegance all their own.

And we commissioned a Milan-based designer and friend-of-MOTATOE to develop original artwork clocks to go alongside our own photographs of Architecture, Food, Sports, etc.

See www.lorbus.com for wonderful design and inspiration.

How you can help.

The AboutFaceClock will be manufactured and assembled in the US. We're also sourcing recycled and recyclable materials.

Our manufacturers and suppliers are lined up and ready to go. We've spent an enormous amount of time and energy finding like-minded and talented business owners and craftspeople to work with, right here in Southern California -- engineers, CNC metal fabricators, metal and plastic laser-cutters, plastic injection molders, 2D and 3D printers, die-makers, die-cutters and powder coaters.

And we've spent and enormous amount of time and energy prototyping, refining, prototyping some more and finalizing the design and manufacturing plan. We're currently showing the clocks to as many people as possible.

Your support will go towards making the tooling and dies as well as the other expensive startup costs, including printing plates, photography licensing, packaging and more. The clocks will come assembled with the "puck" mounting bracket, battery and hardware included.

As a startup, we're excited to launch our first product - the AboutFaceClock. We hope to be able to continue designing more graphics and experimenting with different materials and colors. And we hope to also move ahead with the other product and furniture ideas we've got sketched up or in early phases of prototyping.

Making innovative, fun and smart objects is what we love to do, and thanks to your help we can! So please take a look at the rewards and stay in touch.

www.motatoedesign.com

Many thanks,

Mark