Magazine B No.13 LEGO

A global toy manufacturer, lego first started from a small Carpenter’s workshop in 1932. Its signature bricks offer unlimited building possibilities and let a wealth of creative ideas emerge through play for anyone. Behind the worldwide popularity of lego, there lies a set of meticulous calculation based on thorough knowledge in engineering.

Only a handful of brands receives more of the spotlight every holiday season – LEGO, a globally popular construction toy brand, is definitely one of them. LEGO is probably the most widely known brand name that B  has chosen to profile to date, as many from diverse age groups and cultural backgrounds associate colorful bricks with the brand name. Around the globe, the toy company’s products are flying off the shelves – seven sets of blocks are sold every second. Furthermore, as many as four hundred million people claim to spend nearly fifty hours every year assembling and taking their LEGO bricks apart. Undeniably, LEGO bricks are more than just children’s toys.

B has always sought a way to feature LEGO in its focus on “brands.” People make many things through the act of stacking. From my own point of view, because such acts are so close to human instinct, toy bricks may have evolved with the history of humanity. In fact, LEGO was not the first to introduce toy bricks. What is remarkable about the toy brand, however, is that it has established its brand by transforming the simple idea of “stacking” into a set of standardized modules that allow easy assembly and disassembly and furthermore, acquiring technological and design patents. LEGO bricks, for certain, offer unlimited building possibilities – they help little ones develop their creativity through play while they make unique material for artistic creations or media that allow a wealth of creative ideas to emerge through architectural structures.

Looking back at the time when I was young, I can recall that I liked toys that I had to assemble very much, so much so that I remember I got my inspiration for my dreams while building plastic figurines. LEGO bricks seem to have taken the place of these figurines now. For some reason, I often find my stress relieved whenever I start stacking colorful LEGO blocks.

I believe a LEGO set makes a wonderful gift for anyone, regardless of age. Personally, I find that LEGO has a few things in common with Brompton, a folding bike manufacturer that B  has previously featured. Brompton, in fact, is not the first to come up with the idea of folding bikes, but has become an icon in the industry by introducing how to fold a bike in the most compact form. It is meaningful for a business to have a goal of building a brand that people can easily associate themselves with, no matter how small the brand may be. Such a brand can be established in any business sector – LEGO most likely had the humble goal of making toys that were safe for children to play with initially, but has since evolved into what it is today.

On New Year’s Day, I can imagine that many of our readers made New Year’s resolutions. Rather than making too many at once, I would like to suggest taking small steps by establishing relatively easier targets, in order to achieve change on a bigger scale, which I guess is comparable to small, colored bricks being stuck together to make something wonderful.

PublisherSuyoung Joh

http://www.johsuyong.com