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Sony always strives to manufacture products that fit the Sony brand image. These products are usually classified and marketed as the "World's First," "World's Smallest," "World's Biggest," or "World's Best" products. By the same token, Sony approaches the design of new products in a way that nobody else has done before, emphasizing originality and uniqueness. Good examples include the Walkman, Profeel and Handycam products.
One person who was always particularly concerned with product design was Ohga. He said, "If the design of the product isn't attractive, we can't put the Sony logo on it. An appealing design and ease of maintenance are the hallmarks of good industrial design."
In the 1960s, when Sony's transistor radio market share was decreasing, Morita asked Ohga, then general manager of the Tape Recorder Division, to take charge of product design. Ohga replied that he would only do it if he were also given responsibility for advertising. Morita agreed, and as a result the product design and advertising departments were combined to form the Design Division.
This new division was responsible for introducing two new colors, black and silver, to convey robustness and simplicity in a functionally appealing design. New product designs featured a combination of black plastic parts and silver-colored metal. The first product designed under Ohga's direction was the TFM-110 FM radio, popularly known as the "Eleven." The square design of this product shattered the commonly held belief that radios had to be oblong in shape. The combination of the shape and the black and silver color scheme resulted in such excellent sales that Sony's radio business was rejuvenated. "Eleven" became one of Sony's classic designs, which was used in successive products.
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The "Eleven" radio, with its black and silver design |
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A simple and functional design was characteristic of Sony products in the 1970s. Approximately ten years after the launch of the first Trinitron TV, the color television market was maturing. Ohga, then deputy president of Sony Corporation, took it upon himself to develop a 13-inch color television with a unique design appealing to young people. This marked the birth of the "Citation" model. At the time, mainstream television design was centered on the "wood-grain" look, but the sleek and black "Citation," with its simple panel of buttons at the top, was a hit. Its success changed the course of television design.
The end of the 1970s saw the start of multiplex and satellite broadcasting, as well as the emergence of the PC and new multimedia products. Amid this wave of new technology, Sony searched for products that would carve out a new category in the television market. Morita suggested a monitor-type television that incorporated neither a tuner nor speakers. This prompted the Design Division to come up with the idea of a "naked" or "bare" television without a traditional wooden frame. Speakers, controls, and other ancillary parts would be supplied as separate components.
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"The latest Trinitron. So simple, it's naked." - The catchphrase used to promote the "Profeel" Trinitron television. |
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This new "monitor look" was introduced in 1980 with the "Profeel," or "professional feeling," color television. The new component-style design of the "Profeel" allowed it to be stacked one on top of another, and the novel design found both home and industrial applications. Other TV manufacturers followed this new design trend. But for Sony, it was really nothing new. This approach of dispensing with unnecessary features had originally been applied in the design of the Walkman.
Even after becoming Sony president in 1982, Ohga paid special attention to the design phase of product planning. He emphasized that products must be worthy of the SONY logo -- products that would make customers pleased with their purchases, products they would enjoy, and products that they would eventually replace with new Sony products. Ohga insisted that Sony products must have a certain, extra something that wins over customers. He was concerned that as Sony grew bigger and its product lineup became more diverse, it might drift away from its philosophy of consistently developing high quality, innovative products. On this issue, Ohga was quoted as saying, "A consistent product philosophy is the basis of Sony's brand image. With it Sony can expand and globalize, while still maintaining consistency in design over the long-term. From the customers' point of view, there is only one Sony."
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