[Design Story] Samsung Design Japan

Japan is a place where technology and aesthetics meticulously blend to perfection.

In Tokyo, a trend-setting city equipped with high-end technology and delicate infrastructure, Samsung Design Japan (SDJ) contributes to raising global competitiveness through novel and innovative research activities.

SDJ offers design solutions for hit products in Japan, where diverse cultures are both embraced and enhanced to excellence with their own significance.

One of the unique dynamics of Japan is their ability to accept and characteristically develop various cultures and information to create a perfect design solution for a hit product that appeals to everyone. It is an office of convergence where research, experimentation, and prototype development are all conducted in the processes of foreseeing future trends and reflecting real user needs.

SDJ maximizes global competitiveness based on CMF advanced technology, service, and infrastructure.

We’re able to raise the bar for product quality and develop new colors and post-processing through a combination of highly advanced technology, design infrastructure, and craftsmanship focusing on the smallest of details. SDJ has become the design bedrock on which global competitiveness is maximized through the realization and proposal of prototypes with various possibilities using a newly developed and innovative CMF(Color/Material/Finishing).

HISTORY & AWARDS

Greetings from the Director

OUR TEAM

Product Strategy Team

The Product Strategy Team formulates strategy by researching and analyzing the seeds of next generation products and services discovered from Japan’s social trends that have been through both high and low growths over the course of history. This strategy serves as the foundation for Samsung to identify new areas of opportunity.

Product Design Team

The Product Design Team develops products for the purpose of creating new value through design. The team develops design mock-ups and evaluates marketability (mass production capability) to provide users with appealing products.

UX Team

The UX team designs optimal user experiences for newly established product and service categories. Considering potential user needs and human factors, the team carries out GUI (Graphic User Interface) design, UI (User Interface) design, and UX prototypes to provide advanced user experiences.

OUR WORKS

NX1 (left) and NX30 (right)

NX1

NX1 is a product designed to establish the design identity of high-end mirrorless cameras. Its elaborately designed details and solid magnesium body are part of a stylishly classic design that provides a sense of perfected technology.

NX30

The NX30 inherited and improved upon the premium classic and ergonomic design of the NX series. A rubberized Wrap Grip was applied to all areas where the hand touches the camera, enhancing both the visual and tactile sense of grip.

WA-4000HH (left) and New A3 Biz. (right)

WA-4000HH

This top loading washing machine has been developed with the rough laundering styles of users in India and Southeast Asia in mind. The product is a collaborative effort between the Digital Home Appliances design team, SDJ, and Samsung Design Delhi(SDD) that reflect Samsung’s design identity.

New A3 Biz.

The purpose of the A3 printer is to increase intellectual productivity. Its UX design thus maximizes usability and intuitiveness by simplifying the steps a user would take to access the printer. Given the way printers are used by multiple users in offices, we expanded its functions to make group operations easier and more accessible.

Galaxy J (left) and Galaxy J UX (right)

Galaxy J

The Galaxy J is exclusive to the Japan market and has been completely designed, from product and UX to CMF by SDJ. The Parting Line has been minimized and the simplicity of Galaxy J’s exterior has been amplified by removing graphic patterns. On top of that, a fresh color much preferred by young women in their twenties and thirties has been applied.

Galaxy J UX

We developed and installed a new Japanese input system, System ‘8 Flick’, which can quickly switch between Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji all at once. Despite the limited space on a smartphone’s screen, users can enter characters more quickly with fewer errors. Also due to the history of natural disasters that occurred in Japan, we installed a ‘Long Life Mode’ function that maintains battery life in order to enable emergency communication.

Next Driving Force 1 (left) and Next Driving Force 2 (right)

Next Driving Force 1

The next generation collaborative CMF(Color/Material/Finishing) project showcases SDJ’s state-of-the-art material and processing technology that is actualized in product design. The exhibition, held under the theme ‘Integrated Design’, was an opportunity for SDJ to apply its unique CMF research and know-how to actual businesses. This exhibition presented mock-up of vacuum cleaners that went on to become a popular exhibit in the 2014 CES.

Next Driving Force 2

The ‘Next Driving Force’ that began in 2013 has continued since then. With suggestions made through advanced CMF that incorporates SDJ’s cutting-edge material processing technology, we established a strategic partnership with Japanese businesses in which we can exclusively utilize their innovative technology.