Undoubtedly many of us have been keeping an eye on the time during our New Year celebrations, and so I thought it fitting (being the first post of 2013 here on Minimalissimo) to feature this beautiful impetus for reading the time. Designed by Minimalissimo-favorite Naoto Fukasawa for production by Magis in 2011, Tempo is a plastic wall-clock that has an all-white ground with details punctuated by a single color (orange, brown, black or grey).

Despite the absence of a second-hand, the clock makes an audible ticking sound. Its graphic (almost drawn-like) quality, the rounded shapes used on the face and the use of depth give this otherwise minimalist piece a softness and playfulness that I very much enjoy. For Magis, Fukasawa also designed a reductionist cuckoo clock, titled Cu-Clock.