In this digital age where all words can be transmitted through keyboards, 

there is a designer in Hangzhou who spent three years making a pen.

Yesterday, the designer sitting in front of the reporter was thin, wearing glasses, a plain shirt and sweater, gentle and clean. 

He speaks softly and softly, but has a name that doesn't quite match the "art style": Zhang Fei. He is a teacher

who teaches industrial design at Zhejiang University of Technology and a winner of the 2014 and 2015 International iF Design Awards.

Just half a month ago, he won the Gold Award and Excellence Award of the first "China Good Design" initiated by the German Red Dot Award in China.

Winning an award is naturally a happy thing, but for Zhang Fei, what makes him even happier is that the pen he spent three years "grinding" into, 

called the "Fish Pen," finally meets the standard for mass production.

The "Fish Pen" is a fish shaped pen, measuring 16.5 centimeters in length, 3 centimeters in width, and 1.5 centimeters in thickness. 

The pen body made of natural wood material, after being finely polished, is smooth like a small fish. 

When held in the hand, the tiger's mouth will be "filled" with the pen body, making people feel more "alive" than ordinary writing pens.

Just like how people usually cut open the fish from the belly when cooking fish meat, 

the Fish pen designed by Zhang Fei can also be opened in half to replace the pen core.

I want to break the conventional form of the pen and change the impression of people who are used to writing with a keyboard on writing, "said Zhang Fei. 

He is a hand drawing enthusiast, and as long as there is paper and pen around him, he will unconsciously use it to paint and draw.

I like to doodle by hand. For design, I have always insisted on hand drawing. I often tell my students that drawing on paper is a process from the brain to the hand, 

and the wonders are something you cannot perceive when holding the mouse. "Zhang Fei said that his design drawings are always drawn on paper.

Why does it take three years for a seemingly simple pen?

The prototype of this pen was originally an exhibit for me when I was invited to participate in the talents exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany in 2012. 

At that time, only two were made. So when someone from the German side suggested ordering it at the exhibition,

 I didn't dare to accept it, "Zhang Fei said," because designing samples and mass production are basically two different things

Due to the large number of people interested in this' little fish ', after the exhibition returned, Zhang Fei attempted to mass produce the first batch. 

However, the reality was very painful.' Out of 100 pens, only 7 or 8 were successful, and it is impossible to quantify production. '

For many designers, it is impossible to quantify the production of design products, and if they are lost, they are also lost. But Zhang Fei was unwilling.

I can't go around, "Zhang Fei said.

The biggest difficulty is the curvature of the fish's body.

Because the raw material is wood, not other materials that can be molded by molds, it is difficult to fix the shape after cutting and polishing to a standard. 

In addition, there are many other problems. For example, the fish body is made up of two pieces that are joined together. 

These two pieces are polished separately, but when they are closed, there will be misalignment because there is a groove on the inside for placing the pen core. 

These small problems are solved step by step After solving some problems, Zhang Fei tried to produce 100 units, 

with a success rate of 30% in the first year, 60% in the second year, and 99 units in the third year of this year, which was the batch of 100 units half a month ago.

Making it is one thing, but how many people would be interested in this pen? This is also a question in Zhang Fei's heart.

Zhang Fei chose to use the most popular crowdfunding method currently available, 

with a target of 10000 yuan. At the end of the crowdfunding campaign, Zhang Fei raised over 20000 yuan.

Zhang Fei said that in less than half a month since its release in early November, 

this "little fish" priced at 139 yuan has sold more than 1000 units: "Actually, there are many more people who can experience the joy of writing than we imagined

Original link：http://qjwb.zjol.com.cn/html/2015-11/17/content_3207156.htm?div=-1