sharp’s free form display receives the 2015 g-mark japan GOOD DESIGN best 100 award

escaping the traditional square shapes of LCD screens, sharp uses IGZO circuit technology reducing the necessary edging around the display, to enable limitless forms suitable for any application.

piotr boruslawski November 25, 2015 2 min

sharp’s free form display receives the 2015 g-mark japan GOOD DESIGN best 100 award
all images courtesy of sharp

japan GOOD DESIGN award: sharp is continuously researching screen technology that repeatedly redefines the shape of everyday products. their latest project, ‘free form displays’ (FFD) combines both non-rectangular screens and narrow bezel technology, to show content up to the edges of any shape. this enables limitless forms suitable for any environment or application, as well as motivates designers and engineers to reach beyond the limitations of a rectangle. the resulting sharp displays offer high brightness and a wide viewing angle, with an option of adding touch sensitivity. these capabilities would provide a variety of widespread uses for automotive, smartphone, wearable industries.

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the display used in the automotive industry

the ‘free-form displays’ use the company’s IGZO circuit design technology that reduces the necessary edging around the screen. on the outer region of conventional square LCD (liquid crystal displays) screens, a picture frame is required of a certain width in order to place the operating circuitry for the rectangular display. engineers at sharp have drastically reduced that unavoidable framing by placing it behind the pixel area. this cutting-edge layout is expected to open new possibilities in the future, which is why g-mark japan GOOD design 2015 has presented the project with the ‘GOOD design best 100’ award for re-interpreting liquid crystal panels for a new era of functionality. sharp-free-form-displays-g-mark-japan-good-design-2015-designboom-05
a sample display for a tachometer layout

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the circular shapes possible with the ‘free form’ display
the screens can be curved in concave and convex directions

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the sharp free form display is the winner of the 2015 japan GOOD DESIGN BEST 100, presented during tokyo designers week 2015.

the GOOD DESIGN award was founded in 1957 by the japanese ministry of international trade and industry and is hosted by the japan institute for design promotion. the ‘g mark’ emblem reflects comprehensive design values and principles that aim to enrich lives, industries and society.

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