Today, the Fiskars Orange® color is an essential part of the
company’s brand. It was registered as a trademark in the USA in
2007, following its Finish trademark in 2003.^3 The color has
successfully extended beyond the scissor line to other Fiskars
products, making their garden tools and crafting supplies
instantly recognizable, even at a distance. In recognition of their
simple appeal and design legacy the Classic orange-handled
scissors are part of the permanent collection of the Museum of
Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.^4
Another company whose innovative handle design can be found
in the MoMA collection is OXO,^5 whose soft rubber grips with
ribbed finishes transformed the commodity utensil category and
launched an entire product portfolio built around the sense of
touch.
Figure 2.x: OXO Good Grips Peeler
The origin story of OXO comes not from the introduction of new
manufacturing capabilities like Fiskars, but with observation of an
unmet need in the marketplace. Founder Sam Farber, who was
ostensibly retired from a career in the kitchenware business, was
inspired by seeing his wife Betsy struggle when using a standard
metal vegetable peeler. Betsy was suffering from arthritis in her
hands, and the design of the all-metal implement was optimized
not for comfort or support, but to be manufactured as cheaply
and easily as possible.
(^3) "Orange-Handled Scissors: Superior Cutting Since 1967." Fiskars. Accessed January
25, 2015. http://www2.fiskars.com/content/download/22952/394664/file/OHS
Backgrounder.pdf.
(^4) "Olof Backstrom. Scissors (1960)." MoMA.org. Accessed January 25, 2015.
http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=3250.
(^5) "Smart Design, New York. Good Grips Peeler (1989)." MoMA.org. Accessed January
25, 2015. http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=3758.