Polygons all started with what was supposed to be a classroom lesson in what not to do. National Institute of Design student Rahul Agarwal elaborates: "Polygons was a result of a course we have in our curriculum called Simple Product Design, for which one of my seniors advised me not to take up products which have reached near-perfection in their evolutionary cycle—specifically giving me the example of a spoon. And that was it: Challenge accepted." The design itself is an intriguing take on the all-in-one design thinking that people so eagerly eat up.

At first glance, this comes off nothing like the traditional spoon shape we've grown to know and love for its fantastic soup-capturing capabilities. But that's because it's not a traditional spoon by any means. Polygons is a measuring tool, taking the functionality of multiple load sizes—both in tablespoons and teaspoons—and combining them into one form.

Going even further into the realm of "extremely useful must-haves," Polygons' design was made with easy cleaning (read: fold it flat and wipe it down) and storage in mind—the single-material construction is just as at home holding a page in a recipe book as it is measuring out spices. The entire product is very reminiscent of Joseph Joseph's folding chopping board, which the designer cites as inspiration for this work. See the spoon in action:

Obviously, the principle of form-follows-function is strong with this one."The common problem of most design projects is knowing when to stop with the form/styling iterations," says Agarwal. "But for Polygons, the product kept shaping up along the design process so clearly, that there quickly came a point where there was not a single line on the product which didn't have a clear function."

It seems that a simple construction like this would have a home in other fields of design. "I haven't actively begun thinking about its applications in other industries yet, but medicinal packaging (where dosages are required), vendors of fluid goods (spices, powders, etc.) and basically any scenario/industry where measuring accurate volumes of fluids is required could benefit from this cost-effective product," Agarwal says. "Or picture this: A thin flexible sheet of candy with the spoon's pattern simply embossed on it. Kids have their meals using the candy spoon, and once they finish, they get to eat it!" Sold.

Agawal's advice to future Core77 Design Awards entrants: "Ask yourself a simple question about your solution: Would you buy it? Your solution should excite you. Once your solution truly excites you, you'll definitely be able to—and will strive to—resolve it to the distance where it excites and also gives value to others."

Check out a full list of the 2014 Core77 Design Awards honorees here.