News / Start-ups

Magnetic pencil kickstarter smashes target

By Laura Collacott  Tuesday Sep 13, 2016

A new magnetic pencil aimed at illustrators and architects has smashed its Kickstarter campaign by over 800 per cent, with more than 2,000 backers. 

Designed by UWE Product Design Technology graduates Ashley Hribar-Green and Matthew Aston Cain, both of whom have been working in high-end product design for the past five years, ‘Magno‘ is a 2mm lead, mechanical pencil that claims to improve precision for technical drawing. The patent-pending design conceals a free-moving magnet within a aluminium case that allows “precision lead positioning”.

“The idea came from looking at existing products and identifying problems,” says co-founder Ashley, who has headquartered the company in Redland; “things that have become sterile in their design.”

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Unique pencil parts on view in this cutaway

The campaign has triggered deals with two large restaurant companies and a large, international, executive jet company looking for high-end corporate gifts for their high-value customers. 

Production will begin in China at the end of September, with delivery to customers before Christmas. 

 

Read more: Crowdfunding

 

 

 

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