These pens have a distinct look that immediately gets attention. It turns out, there’s good reason for that: They were designed by architects. Achille Castiglioni and Gianfranco Cavalgià created the design in 2001. The project was unpublished and kept in a Milan-based studio. The thought process that went into the design and the story of how these writing instruments took 20 years to complete.
Wooden prototypes of these writing instruments were found by Giovanna and Carlo Castiglioni in their father’s studio. The wooden prototypes were created by Pierluigi Ghianda, an expert cabinetmaker. They are designed in an arching shape that ergonomically fits in the hand. There’s another good reason for this design: it won’t roll on a table when you set it down.
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It was in 2020 that the Achille Castiglioni company and Gianfranco Cavaglia found EGO.M, an Italian design studio. They trusted the company to develop, engineer and produce the writing utensils.
Three items were crafted from the prototypes: a mechanical pencil, a fountain pen and a multifunctional art pencil. Three-dimensional printing techniques created the unique shape. With the design therefore taken care of, EGO.M focused on finding the right materials to make the idea a reality. They settled on graphene, a material made with carbon and graphite.
The fountain pen is made to be pocket-sized. Along with the mechanical pencil, it has a graphene filament and aluminum detailing. It also has the slightly arching shape to make it easy to grip and hold.
Your hand isn’t perfectly straight. It’s got curved and bumps. It’s flowing and organic. That’s why these writing utensils look so organic. They’re made to fit the hand, not so that you can fit your hand to them. They’re also made using the latest tech and materials. Even in the digital age, writing tools are still necessary. Tools like this, made with 3D printing using natural materials could change the way you write from now on.
Images via EGO.M
