CITIZEN DESIGN
Designing Emotion
Philosophy
Emotion is at the heart of the watch.
Excitement—when you see it for the first time.
Warmth—when you touch it.
Confidence—when you have it snug on your wrist.
Delight—whenever you glance at it.
Affection—which only deepens over time.
All in all, too many emotions to list here.
Designs that awaken a whole range of feelings
and possess true emotional resonance.
That is what we aspire to at CITIZEN.
That is designing emotion.
The Birth of 'Designing Emotion'
The philosophy of 'Designing Emotion' was born from a project that sought to explore the essence of 'CITIZEN-ness,' which had been accumulated as tacit knowledge. From approximately 6,000 watches stored within the company, many employees intuitively selected products they felt best represented CITIZEN. Through meticulous research, these selections were verbalized, and further analysis and systematization extracted the emotional DNA—'CITIZEN-ness.' This process yielded many insights into the essence, elements, and grammar of design. Additionally, as words related to 'emotion' frequently appeared in the analysis, we hypothesized that the role of design at CITIZEN is to 'move the emotions of the user.' Through discussions with external advisors and internal workshops, we arrived at this definition.
12 Categories of CITIZEN Identity
To select models that embody CITIZEN identity, we conducted a company-wide survey and performed quantitative text analysis of the responses. Based on the results, we determined the 12 categories that serve as the final criteria for CITIZEN identity. This can be described as the verbalization of the 'CITIZEN-ness' that has been accumulated as tacit knowledge over more than a century of craftsmanship.
DESIGN SOURCE 100
Based on the 12 categories of CITIZEN identity, we selected 100 models from three perspectives: (1) whether they possess CITIZEN identity, (2) whether they have a high degree of design completion, and (3) whether they have elements we wish to reference in the present day. All models were meticulously researched using sketches as a method.
Essence of Design
Through quantitative analysis of the vast text generated from research on 100 models, we extracted eight statements that represent the essence of design underlying CITIZEN models across eras. These are guiding principles that should always be kept in mind in CITIZEN's design activities.
Elements of Design
From the vast amount of text generated through research on 100 models, we extracted elements by analyzing 'emotion' as an axis, and ultimately systematized them into 76 codes and 11 categories. This represents the question, 'What kind of emotions do CITIZEN watches evoke in users?' and can be described as the verbalization of hints and techniques for watch design.
