\QUANTUM Announces New Partnership with Habits Studio

QUANTUM Inc., newly established subsidiary of TBWA\HAKUHODO Japan, has just formalized a new partnership with Milan-based design firm, Habits Studio.

\QUANTUM was launched in 2014 as a division within TBWA\HAKUHODO to help foster innovative growth and exploration. It went on to establish its own brand called QM in 2015. The collaboration with Habits Studio started between QM and Habits Studio’s internal innovation platform, called ‘Digital Habits’.

Habits Studio provides seamless experiences for users adopting innovations and new technologies. The team includes product designers, mechanical and electronic engineers, visual and interaction designers, who together, bring their visions to life by making interactive prototypes as proof of concepts. 

With shared aspirations and values, the two companies work closely to develop Internet of Things (IoT) products that breathe new life into everyday experiences. The first product created by the partnership was unveiled at the Digital Habits booth at the Salone del Mobile Milano 2016, held in Milan, Italy in April. Inspired by moon-watching, the teams introduced a unique interior lighting display, ‘Another Moon’, that showcases the delicate beauty of waxing and waning of the moon in real-time. 

Enhanced through their collaboration, both companies are committed to developing products and services that have appeal for the wider global marketplace. The partnership opens up new opportunities for both companies to incorporate global design perspectives into the earliest stages of product development. 

In addition to this, \QUANTUM and Habits Studio plan to leverage their partnership across a wide range of projects undertaken in conjunction with \QUANTUM’s numerous partner companies. 

Innocenzo Rifino, Founder, Habits Studio, comments,

"We have a special link with Japan. We started working in the country in 2000 when we were still students. Now we feel somehow integrated with the habits and creativity of the Japanese people. Our design approach appears to be especially effective for Japanese advanced industries. The partnership with \QUANTUM ideally fits this opportunity and the capabilities of both companies express together a whole creative heritage.” 

Futaba Maehara, General Manager, \QUANTUM Makers, \QUANTUM comments, 

“Our work style at Ku-Mu (QM) is always to collaborate with partners flexibly depending on the products and services we produce. Through the project with Habits Studio, we realized that partnering with global design firms would make us enrich the products we develop with a broader perspective, especially at a time when both businesses and markets are becoming more global. Habits has lots of experiences working with global companies, including some in Japan, and we are very excited to continue our collaboration on more projects based on this partnership.”