DENSO DESIGN is a collective of diverse personalities
forming a neutral design team that doesn’t reflect a single DENSO identity.
We aim to be like water in our design approach.
This is because we believe that we can only do good work
by seamlessly blending into our clients’ environments.
Before considering what DENSO wants, we focus on addressing our clients’ needs and desires.
Within DENSO there are many other organizations similar to the design department.
These teams share a common philosophy:
instead of saying "DENSO this, DENSO that," they emphasize
"what our clients need, what our clients want."
This makes DENSO a unique company with tens of thousands of such individuals worldwide.
As a result, when you open up a car anywhere in the world,
you will find DENSO’s technology deeply embedded within it.
Recently, this influence has been extending from the automotive world into urban spaces.
The design department within DENSO also strives to embody
this "water-like" philosophy in its design approach.
We are a dedicated design research group that thoughtfully considers the essence of things and the people involved.
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Introduction to Our Office
Headquarters Kariya Office
Nagoya Office
History of DENSO DESIGN
DENSO DESIGN was established in the 1940’s. Its history represents the history of the industrial designing in Japan. The design spirit that was cultivated by pursuit of technical drawing letters developed to designing of automotive parts, and then to a wide diversity of products. The following is an overview of the path taken by DENSO DESIGN from its inception to today.
1940-1950s
DENSO DESIGN starting with technical drawing letters
The "designing" work in DENSO began when a drafter took interest in the designing aspect of letters used in technical drawing and refined it on his own. His work was increasingly applied to meter dials, nameplates, artwork of products as well as company signs, playing a major role in popularizing the company name of DENSO in the market.
1960-1970s
First Good Design Award
Design related work increased during the rapid economic growth period when new products were launched such as car stereo system, car transceiver, air-conditioner, etc. Against this background, the design department was organized with the concept of creating a new life with design. Then, car transceiver "ND-2000" was given Good Design Award by Ministry of International Trade and Industry. The compact operation device was separated from the main body for easy operation. The product presented the basis of HMI (Human Machine Interface) when there was no such a word as HMI.
1980s
Initiatives for ergonomic design
In the 1980’s, electronics began to be widely used in automotive parts such as digital meter and car navigation system with digital / multiple display features. The design proposal ability was now directly related to an increase in sales. The "3-D display design with half mirror" used in Toyota Soarer’s meter was regarded as an excellent patent that satisfies such ergonomic criteria as remotely focused viewpoint and high contrast in addition to the attraction of stereoscopic effect.
1990s
Designing mobile phones
In the 1990’s, DENSO began to undertake the development of mobile phones. The design department was set up also in the Tokyo Office for product planning. The "T204" model of IDO (today’s au) launched in 1994 gathered attention from the market due to its unique design wherein the keys were arranged in a single line. For the models of Digital Phone (today’s Softbank), our designers presented highly popularized ideas including "interface / texting app featuring mascot characters," "ringtones" and "incoming call illumination."
2000s
World’s top design group in automotive HMI designing
In the latter half of the 90’s when more emphasis was given to "usability" or "graphic user interface," DENSO DESIGN produced unique HMI design philosophy, "HSI (Human Surround Interface)" with a view to becoming a "world’s top design group in automotive HMI designing." Its focus is to create intuitive interfaces by giving consideration to the entire environment that surrounds a driver. The HSI philosophy has been actively discussed with automotive manufacturers all over the world, and thereby established DENSO’s current conception / proposal style.
2010s
Design that expands its activity field
We are now expanding the scope of our designing possibilities to all kinds of products by utilizing the product proposal ability we have developed through the designing of mobile phones and HMI. For example, we are working on component parts installed in a car engine room. We are pursuing the fundamentals of designing such as beauty equipped with functionality and quality which demonstrates sophistication. Beyond the automotive field, our designing activity is now encompassing medical products, HEMS, energy devices and other products in response to the dynamic needs of our society.