CITIZEN DESIGN TEAM
ABOUT US
This website was launched so that designers could communicate the appeal of CITIZEN design in their own words. One of the motivations for this was the establishment of our philosophy of 'Designing Emotion.' This project aimed to verbalize the tacit knowledge about what makes CITIZEN unique, which had been buried in CITIZEN's long history, and systematically organized it over more than five years. During our analysis, we found that words related to 'emotion' appeared very frequently, which made us realize once again that we value resonating with the emotions of those who wear our products and evoking their latent feelings. If we can move the hearts of fans and readers, even a little, by sharing the beliefs behind the design of CITIZEN watches, nothing would make us happier.
The Ignition Point of Innovation
The Santama Project (tentative) began with a call from the design magazine AXIS. The director of AXIS had many opportunities to ride the Seibu Line for a special issue, and upon looking at the map again, noticed that three companies—Bridgestone (Kodaira), CITIZEN (Tanashi), and Hitachi (Kokubunji)—are located in close proximity within the Tama region. The idea was that by having companies from different industries that are geographically close collaborate, they could generate new ideas and help solve local issues. The first meeting was held at Bridgestone, the second at CITIZEN, and the third at Hitachi. Incidentally, the project name will remain tentative until a concrete goal is decided.
Live On
“Designing Emotion” is CITIZEN’s design philosophy, born from a project started in 2016 to explore what makes CITIZEN unique. ― A watch exists alongside emotion. The excitement at first glance The gentleness you notice when you touch it The sense of security when you put it on your wrist The joy you feel when you glance at it in a quiet moment The affection that grows as you spend time together The indescribable emotions deep within your heart Resonating with the wearer’s feelings, Awakening latent emotions— That is the design we strive for. ―
Origins to Future
On the occasion of CITIZEN’s 100th anniversary, CITIZEN designers themselves set out to explore what makes 'CITIZEN Design' unique. By studying past models and consolidating the insights gained, they articulated these as 'design sources.' This project, which spanned about five years and included objective analysis by external advisors, is introduced here.