When I think about what products have really embraced color, my mind instantly comes to Sony. It seems every year Sony not only pushes the bar of consumer electronic design in many categories, but also with the colors they choose to go along with them. Color is a powerful element of design that can make or break product character. Used effectively, it can arouse interest and stir up business. This was revealed and proven early on, in tests with Sony products in various colors. This great interview piece from Sony Design has a lot to say about pink, which is now a standard color that defies passing trends and preconceptions about product markets and categories.
Fukamatsu:Years ago, if you mentioned Sony products, most people would imagine black and silver styling. Those of us in design have always been eager to explore color, though, and over the years we have tested out new colors as we give people more options.
Quite a few Sony products are used together, and we keep this in mind when developing color options. Imagine products connected to a “VAIO” computer. These notebooks are like a “mother ship” for “Cyber-shot” cameras or “WALKMAN” players. The colors of notebooks cover more surface area than those of the other devices, which dominates the image conveyed by colors. Like a canvas already almost full of one color, this has often been our starting point for developing compatible products and completing the picture. In connected devices, we consider what hues would be a satisfying extension of the base color and what hues people would enjoy combining with it.
Pink was a color we were especially eager to introduce for women. In fact we were so eager that pink was included when we released our first headphones with interchangeable color accent panels. But that was only an accent color. We first introduced pink as a body color in 2006, in the “VAIO” C series and “Cyber-shot” DSC-T10.
Now all manufacturers seem to offer pink as a standard color in computers and digital cameras, but at the time, it was still very unusual. These were truly epoch-making models, for Sony as well as the electronics industry in general. People appreciated it, and it earned rave reviews in the media. This paved the way for us to move from using pink as an accent color to adopting it as a standard color in many product categories. As fashion and tastes have diversified in recent years, people seem to be more sensitive to matters of style. Pink continues to emerge across the industry as a trend color.
Fukamatsu: For us, exploring color options involves comprehensive study. To guide us in development, we first consider the product category and character, consumer tastes and trends, and local preferences in our markets around the world. Inspiration is everywhere, if we look carefully: in interior design, fashion and fashion accessories, on the street, and in the pages of magazines. We share our inspiration, look for a sound basis in theory, and then build on these concepts to develop everything from body colors to virtual wallpaper. Here, we must balance a reasoned, intellectual approach with a sense of style.
Pink in particular is quite intriguing but also very difficult. It runs the spectrum from pale, cherry blossom pink to purplish hues. The fact that pink products can look cute, elegant, or glamorous depending on the hue makes it tricky to work with. That’s why it’s critical to establish guidelines initially, which help us focus on what kind of pink we want and why.
Pink hues that emerge from this work remind us of many things. In new “VAIO” C notebooks, we imagined shades of cosmetic blush and feminine cheeks flushed with excitement. Open it up, and you’ll see a two-tone pink gradient, with the palm rest and keyboard panel each giving a subtly different impression.
Interestingly, using exactly the same colors in “WALKMAN” players or “Cyber-shot” cameras would not have the same, alluring effect in these products. We take a comprehensive approach to color management, but we develop colors that complement each product. As we expand the Sony palette of colors, it takes the skill of each designer in charge and teamwork among many of us.
Otani:Look into the “WALKMAN” S series, and you’ll find basic and noise-canceling players (models NW-S640 and S740, respectively). Two versions also come with a speaker dock (NW-S640K/S740K). Outside of Japan, we offer a similar model with built-in speakers which I managed industrial design for, the NWZ-S540 series.
In styling, they were all developed along the same lines. First, we clearly distinguished the controls from the display section. Hit Play, and that’s where it all begins—that’s the message behind the circles spreading out from the buttons like ripples on the surface.
See the models in person, and you’d be amazed at how the unique color schemes of each series set them apart from the others, despite sharing the same design concept. Pink players are available in each series. In the NW-S640 (designed with younger music lovers in mind), the player looks like some kind of cute accessory, combining vivid and pastel hues of pink. In contrast, an air of elegance was needed in the NW-S740, which is graced by a two-tone color scheme. The LCD screen seems to vanish into the black frame, in contrast to glamorous pink controls. We adjusted the hue toward cyan, and this color is actually marketed as violet.
Meanwhile, the vivid pink NWZ-S540 I contributed to satisfies a general Latin American preference for bold colors.
Fukamatsu:To ensure that what’s displayed on the “WALKMAN” S and A series goes well with the body color, we worked with our user interface and graphic design teams to create the wallpaper. Color-coordinated wallpaper is one way to entice people to take a closer look at these attractive models, and we emphasize this feature in store displays and product brochures.
Yamagishi: I recently designed stereo headphones for younger customers (MDR-370P). Here, pink is a color option we chose with girls in mind.
It’s easy to say you like pink, but of course, each person has a favorite hue. This styling was chosen especially for girls who might enjoy showing off these over-the-head headphones while listening, as part of their sense of fashion. Headphones are the only element of portable audio players that are always in view, and we refined the styling and color of these headphones imagining colorful, cute fashion.
Our design work began with a discussion about the trendy clothes and accessories of girls who would like these headphones. This led to a slender headband that won’t disturb the wearer’s hairstyle, as well as a cheerful bubble pattern on the band. Violet is used as an accent color on the ear pads and cord. I thought it would be great if girls chose the headphones in the same spirit they pick out matching clothes.
They may look appealingly simple, but if designers are not careful, this is exactly the kind of product that seems cheap and undesirable. Our goal was nice, minimal design worthy of the Sony name. In the concealed mechanism for adjusting the band length and other touches, I think we succeeded in creating an example of seamless, simple design.
Akita: You have a lot of different “Cyber-shot” models to choose from. There are many series, and in each series, we offer models for various markets, manufactured to different specifications. When preparing our palette of colors, we must keep the entire product line in mind yet know how each series is positioned with a unique sense of character. What’s more, we should know about the colors of products in other categories scheduled for launch at the same time, and it’s essential to research local color preferences in all of our markets. With so many things to consider, it’s hard to chart the best, most logical course in design.
And after we finally decide the impression we want colors to convey, we face the daunting task of achieving this effect. In the tradition of “Cyber-shot” design, it’s critical to retain a sense of the inherent quality of the materials we use. As we pursue the desired colors, we employ many techniques, such as anodizing, electrocoating, and clearcoating. We seem to have an unlimited combination of materials and techniques at our disposal, but we must find the optimal solution to ensure products look their best.
Coloring metal is also extremely difficult. Try to make anodized aluminum pink, and a slight difference in processing conditions can make it dull and dark or dazzlingly bright, altering the hue and finish dramatically. It may be easy to aim for pink, but hues that fade under sunlight must be avoided. We try combinations of dyes of all kinds as we check the results.
We’re willing to try new materials and techniques, but this means that even when initial results look promising, we wouldn’t be surprised to discover that our approach won’t work in mass production. Each time this happens, we meet and patiently examine the color, identify and resolve the problem—even revise our quality management processes, if needed.
Yamagishi:As mentioned, pink comes in many hues. It’s understandable that people might love one hue but hate another. We look for optimal colors in consideration of product characteristics and target markets. And then, we must bring out these colors in our products. That’s the hard part.
Without a doubt, a subtle difference of shading can make a product look tasteless or tasteful. You can see fine examples of creating the right impression through just the right hue in pink Sony products. As designers, we strive to keep in constant contact with each other so that we’re on the same page about colors and the impressions they give, which can’t be conveyed with color samples.
Fukamatsu: People seem keenly interested in color around the world. It’s understandable that brochures and magazine ads are sometimes created from the standpoint of color instead of product category. We use this approach in promotion ourselves.
We also see color as a way to enliven products with a breath of fresh air. Choose particular colors for products traditionally marketed to men, and it might rouse women’s interest. We can offer something fresh that blurs traditional notions of gender. Color has this kind of power. And a tangible example is pink in Sony products.
We’re also tired of the rationale of choosing pink because a product is intended for women, which feels outdated. Men’s fashion in recent years (sportswear, sneakers, and other apparel) demonstrates that vivid pink is now used not only as an accent color but as the main color. In Sony products as well, we offer pink hues that appeal to men and women alike. How can we pave the way to take advantage of other powerful colors, besides pink? Our team knows that this is a promising field for pioneering design work from Sony.
Kanae Fukamatsu, Asami Yamagishi, Yusuke Otani, Miho Akita
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