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Profile by Alice Rawsthorn of Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa in the International Herald Tribune. One of his best known designs is the beautifully simple CD player that he developed in 1999 for Muji. Fukasawa says of this: "Usually designers think of audio-visual products as black stacks, as special products that don't really have much to do with your everyday life," said Fukasawa. "I wanted to make a CD player that fits into everyday life, so you can listen to music while brushing your teeth or cooking. At first everybody said: 'What's this?' They didn't understand why a CD player should be like this, but they understand that they should pull the cord to start it, and then they get it." Read the rest of the article here. Be sure to check out the slide show of his work, too. Photo by Tamotsu Fujii / Ryohin Keikaku (MUJI).