In an increasingly fast-paced world, Japanese stationery brand HITOTOKI tries to make people slow down and cherish every moment of their day. Knowing the brand name means “precious moments” in Japanese, the firm committed to this idea and with the hope to prove that time is priceless. HITOTOKI embarked on a creative journey during which it used its own products to carve its path to the destination.

Joining hands with ad agency Dentsu, and after long hours of hard work, the company reached its goal and gave birth to an original piece of art, entirely made of everyday objects. Its brainchild, worthy of all admiration, proves that even time itself can magically bloom into art.

This week’s #ThrowBrandThursday greets you with the “world’s most handmade” 24-hour video, in which all attention goes to a clock made entirely by hand. With craftsmanship skill running through its veins and from the bottom of its heart, HITOTOKI outlined the real value of handmade items and brought it to life through a unique watch that represents time with a quite uncommon approach.

Time is usually represented by the ticking of a clock. It marks a new day or the change of the calendar. Inspired by the simple manifestation of time, the stationery brand brought an artistic tribute to every moment of a day and honored each and every minute of it through a stop-motion clock. For the man-made clock hands, the team used various combinations of small items representing a day’s hours and changed their position every 60 seconds in a single 24-hour cut!

Using HITOTOKI brand elements, the crew managed to transform the illusion of time into art. Each minute combination unfolded the usual way and was accompanied by a colored paper background that was consistently replaced every 60-seconds. The images that resulted from the creative process will not only please your mind but they also bring a wonderful visual ode to all the 1,440 minutes of one day.

The Tokyo-based agency captured the images and assembled them in a 24-hour time-lapse film. The one-and-a-half-minute-long promo movie compresses the watch’s hands that continuously rotate in a clockwise direction. To give a more powerful contour to the whole visual experience, the designers selected a series of key elements specific to each time of the day and strategically placed them at the corner of the clock.

The video is also accompanied by a docu-style film, in which one can follow the working process of the handmade clock. Its images depict the hands of the designers meticulously putting together items like crackers, confetti, bananas, glow sticks, cream puffs, flowers, onions, and many more on a joyful background that ultimately takes the form of a watch.

The main piece of the campaign is described by a real-time version of the clock that goes according to the actual time of every user. “The 24-hour version can serve as a real clock on an unused smartphone or tablet,” claimed the agency.

Another impressive time-keeping device was ‘assembled’ by Scania in 2016. To show the reliability of its trucks, the automotive company created a giant clock which could only be admired from mid-air. Similar to the HITOTOKI clock, the one created by Scania ticks in real time only that, instead of using confetti, the company enlisted 14 of its trucks to show the exact time.

Turn everyday minutes into precious moments and assure yourself you’ll be wherever it takes right on time! Just don’t forget to look at the handmade clock or at the truck one to double check the time – you might get lost in all this beauty! Maybe, just watch the 24-hour time-lapse, if you don’t have that much time…

Credits:

Client: HITOTOKI

Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo, Japan

Creative Director: Yuto Ogawa

Copywriter: Yuto Ogawa, Yuto Ogawa, Mai Iwaana

Art Directors: Ryosuke Miyashita, Minami Sakagawa

Director: Makoto Kubota

PR Planners: Michiru Muraki, Asako Fujimagari

Account Executives: Tomoyasu Katagai, Wenni Shao

Producers: Kota Endo, Taro Mikami

Cameraman: Yutaro Tagawa

Art Management: Kenichi Sasaki, Miyuki Nagao

Music: Satoshi Yoshitake

Project Manager: Yasutaka Kubota, Masashi Narita

Web Director: Yasutaka Matsumaru, Miki Shirokura

Technical Director: Motokazu Furukawa

Programmer: Motokazu Furukawa

Web Designer: Miki Shirokura