A Chinese design team has just fixed the single most annoying thing about tape: finding the invisible %&@!-ing edge when it gets lost on the roll.
Rather than focus on developing an elaborate dispenser that wouldn't lose the tape's edge, Nanoin Design opted instead to revamp the tape itself. Their transparent tape has no glue at the edges, so you can just lift it up and start pulling. Thin black lines on the spool demarcate the glue-free perimeter, making it easy to identify the edges. And because the tape roll requires 25% less adhesive, it's more environmentally friendly than regular tape. Even better? It's easy to peel tape off once it has been put on, so if you're the kind of person who likes to save wrapping paper, this tape will make it painless to do so.
Nanoin's redesigned tape won a 2013 Red Dot Design Award for its ingenuity, and it's no wonder. It's a cheap, easy solution that will save millions of people a second or two's worth of aggravation a year. That's just great design.