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Industrials & Technology

At Rinnai Aoyama, Rinnai’s first flagship space for consumers, we shaped the entire brand experience—from the development of the brand concept to identity, spatial design, signage, café, culture book, catalogues, CGI, and communications. Built around the concept of “Echoes of Warmth,” the project reinterprets Rinnai’s long-standing philosophy of shitsujitsu - gōken, an ethos of integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship — as an experience that leads to a richer and more considered way of living. By bringing architecture, interiors, graphics, and content together under a single philosophy, we created Rinnai Aoyama as more than a flagship space: a place where people gather, engage in dialogue, and cultivate new relationships with the brand.

For the development of Rinnai Aoyama, we were responsible for the naming of the space, its logo and Japanese logotype, as well as the signage system throughout the facility. While building upon Rinnai’s broader brand identity and design principles, we reinterpreted its expression to reflect the character of Aoyama and the architecture itself. Treating the entire facility as a brand experience, we designed language, typography, signage, materials, and their relationship with the architecture as an integrated whole. The result is a visual language that allows Rinnai’s philosophy to unfold naturally through space.

For the Rinnai Aoyama website, we led the information architecture, prototyping, and art direction, bringing together a wide range of content—from the space and products to events and editorial stories—into a single, coherent brand experience. To translate the philosophy of Rinnai Aoyama and its broader brand world into the digital space, we carefully structured the content and user journeys while building upon Rinnai’s established brand identity. In collaboration with ium on design and front-end development, we created a refined digital experience appropriate to Aoyama—balancing the brand’s philosophy with clarity and functionality.

For Rinnai Aoyama Cafe, we developed and designed the full range of brand elements, including menus, cups, sleeves, shopping bags, cards, invitations, and wrapping paper. Beginning with the facility’s central concept, “Heat and Transition,” we photographed fire—a fundamental symbol of Rinnai—using long exposure, transforming its traces of light into a distinctive graphic language for the brand. The visual expression was developed in dialogue with the tones and textures of Dekton used throughout the first-floor space, bringing architecture, interiors, and communication together as a coherent brand experience. Each object encountered in everyday use was considered a medium for expressing the brand’s philosophy, creating a system of elements that quietly supports and extends the world of Rinnai Aoyama.

or the Rinnai Aoyama brand book, we led the concept development, editorial direction, art direction, and design. Through an editorial approach, we brought together the philosophy of the space, the brand’s thinking, architecture, products, and cultural initiatives into a coherent narrative—creating a book through which the world of Rinnai Aoyama can be experienced as a whole. From content planning and editing to editorial structure, typography, photography, and visual expression, every element was directed as part of a unified experience. Building upon Rinnai’s enduring philosophy of shitsujitsu-gōken—integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship—we created a brand book defined by a quiet sense of refinement and dignity, reflecting both the character of Rinnai and the cultural context of Aoyama.

For the brand development of Rinnai’s proprietary Air Bubble Technology, we led the project from brand concept development through to the art direction and production of motion CGI and brand films. Built around the concept of “Amazing Technology for Amazing Experiences,” the communication focuses not on the technology itself, but on the experiences and value it makes possible. Through CGI and film, we translated an otherwise invisible technology into a tangible visual language, revealing its function and potential in an intuitive and compelling way. The project aimed to elevate the perceived value of Air Bubble Technology as a technology brand that brings together innovation, reliability, and meaningful human experience.

We provided product design supervision for the new model of Rinnai’s gas clothes dryer, Kanta-kun. Following our work on the remote control system and the Leggiero waterless cooking pot, the project offered another opportunity to reconsider what shitsujitsu-gōken—Rinnai’s enduring philosophy of integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship—means in contemporary product design, while reinforcing a consistent design direction across the brand.Working closely with Rinnai’s in-house design team, we reviewed and directed design proposals and material selections through the lens of the brand’s philosophy and aesthetic principles. As the idea of shitsujitsu-gōken had already become deeply shared within the team through our previous collaborations, the project required no major shifts in direction. The result is a product that naturally embodies Rinnai’s design philosophy with clarity, restraint, and consistency.

For Rinnai Aoyama, we designed the spatial signage system and directed its installation. To extend Rinnai’s long-standing philosophy of shitsujitsu-gōken—integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship—throughout the space, we considered not only visibility and functionality, but also the relationship between signage, architecture, and materiality.Stainless steel was chosen as the primary material, with restrained forms and carefully resolved details creating a refined presence appropriate to the character of Aoyama. Beyond the design itself, we examined every aspect of fabrication and installation, from positioning and construction methods to the precise integration of each element with the architecture.The result is a signage system that does more than communicate information: it becomes an integral part of the architecture itself, quietly expressing the philosophy and character of Rinnai through space.

For the launch of Rinnai Aoyama, we planned, edited, wrote, art-directed, and designed a Culture Book to articulate and share the philosophy and values behind the space. Through an editorial approach, we organized the facility’s concept, Rinnai’s broader brand philosophy, its approach to visitors, and its vision for collaboration into a single publication that communicates the values and principles guiding Rinnai Aoyama. Rather than creating a conventional facility guide, the book reinterprets ideas central to Rinnai—including “Heat and Transition,” “Shitsujitsu Goken,” and “Ju-Go Ittai”—through both language and visual expression, exploring how these philosophies can be embodied within Rinnai Aoyama. It was designed as a tool for employees and partners to understand the thinking behind the space and put it into practice through everyday activities and interactions with visitors. From editorial structure and copywriting to photography, typography, and book design, every element was directed as part of a coherent whole. The Culture Book serves as a brand medium that uses editorial design to make the philosophy and culture embedded in Rinnai Aoyama visible, tangible, and shareable.

Working in close collaboration with Rinnai’s in-house design team, I led the product design of the Rinnai Remote Controller BHY-15 / BHY-16, overseeing not only the industrial design but also the interface design, operation sounds, and voice guidance to shape the entire user experience.As an interface that people interact with many times each day, the product was meticulously designed to achieve exceptional legibility, intuitive usability, and refined tactile and auditory feedback, while maintaining a calm, architectural presence that naturally integrates into contemporary living spaces.Rather than focusing solely on functionality, we designed a seamless experience that extends from the moment of interaction through every stage of use. The result is a product that embodies Rinnai’s philosophy of functional integrity and enduring craftsmanship (“Shitsujitsu Goken”) in everyday life.

For the development of Rinnai’s MBC-332VC series of heating and bath water heater remote controls, we worked closely with Rinnai’s in-house design team to direct the entire user experience—from product and interface design to operation sounds and voice guidance.We pursued a minimal presence that integrates naturally into living spaces, together with an intuitive and comfortable interaction experience. Guided by Rinnai’s philosophy of shitsujitsu-gōken—integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship—we applied a consistent design approach across every detail of the product, UI, and sound. Features such as capacitive touch controls and multilingual support bring functionality and refinement together, establishing a new standard for water heater remote controls.The MBC-332VC series received the 2022 Good Design Award and Good Design Best 100, as well as the 2023 Red Dot Design Award.

For the development of the brand book for SAIBI, an office furniture brand by KOKUYO, we were responsible for the editorial design and art direction. In parallel with the process of redefining the brand’s ideal vision, we translated its philosophy and worldview into a single publication. Rather than simply organizing and communicating information, the book explores the value of time and place within the working environment, as well as the relationship between people and space. Through this editorial approach, we created a distinctive brand experience that embodies the world of SAIBI.

For SAIBI, an office furniture brand by KOKUYO, we led the photography and art direction. Rather than focusing on the furniture itself, we sought to capture the moments, behaviors, and experiences that emerge around it. Observing how people and space quietly shape one another, we portrayed scenes of an ideal workplace where focused thinking, meaningful dialogue, and creativity can naturally unfold.

For Rinnai’s Ultra Fine Bubble water heater, we led the project from brand concept development through to the planning and creative direction of the commercial and promotional film. Beginning with the Japanese cultural ideal of “Pure and Beautiful,” we reinterpreted the value that technology can bring to everyday life. Rather than simply communicating product functions, we sought to portray Japanese aesthetics and a way of living shaped by cleanliness, beauty, and care. Through CGI, we visualized Ultra Fine Bubbles circulating with hot water throughout the home, transforming an invisible technology into an intuitive experience. The result is a brand communication that presents Rinnai’s technology not merely as a functional innovation, but as a means of bringing cleanliness and beauty into everyday life.

For the visual photography of Rinnai’s Ultra Fine Bubble water heater, we sought to express not simply the product’s benefits, but the Japanese philosophy of living embodied in “Pure and Beautiful.” Set at Washin in the Kiyoharu Art Colony, the photography explores the quiet relationships between water, light, skin, architecture, and nature. Through stillness and restraint, we portrayed a refined way of living shaped by cleanliness and beauty—values deeply rooted in Japanese culture and reinterpreted through Rinnai’s technology.

For the product CGI of Rinnai Leggiero, we led the art direction and CGI design. Guided by the aesthetic principle of shitsujitsu-jūken, we sought not simply to reproduce the product’s form and function with precision, but to visualize Leggiero’s quiet refinement, materiality, and carefully considered design. Through the subtle treatment of matte surfaces, metal, light, shadow, and fine details, we revealed qualities of the product that are difficult to capture through photography alone. Rather than using CGI merely to explain function, we developed it as a brand visual that expresses the philosophy behind Leggiero: “easy to use and beautiful.”

For the product design of Rinnai Leggiero, we collaborated with product designer Kazuo Kobayashi of ELEVENCE Co., Ltd., developing the product from its initial concept through form, materials, and fine details. We reinterpreted Rinnai’s long-standing aesthetic sensibility of shitsujitsu-gōken for contemporary food and living as shitsujitsu-jūken—bringing together enduring quality and integrity with gentleness and consideration for the user. While maximizing the functional qualities of waterless cooking, we pursued a quiet and refined presence that integrates naturally into both the kitchen and the dining table. Form, proportion, materials, color, surface finishes, handles, and other details were carefully considered to bring everyday functionality and enduring beauty together as a coherent whole. Rather than simply designing a beautiful pot, the aim was to give physical form to Leggiero’s philosophy: “Delicious meals, effortlessly, every day.”

For the Rinnai Leggiero recipe book, we led the entire creative process—from concept development and editorial planning to the selection of culinary collaborators, recipe development, art direction, editorial design, photography, and print direction. Rather than simply presenting recipes or explaining how to use the product, we began with a broader question: What does an ideal food culture mean to Rinnai? From this perspective, we considered not only the dishes made with Leggiero, but also the table, the ingredients, and the moments that surround them. We also reinterpreted “shitsujitsu-gōken,” an aesthetic sensibility that Rinnai has cultivated over generations, for contemporary life. From this emerged shitsujitsu-jūken—an idea that combines enduring quality and integrity in craftsmanship with gentleness and consideration for everyday living. This became the editorial foundation of the book. Working with culinary expert Naoko Tanijiri, we developed recipes that celebrate the natural qualities of ingredients while expressing the distinctive character of Leggiero. Food, tableware, styling, photography, typography, paper, and printing were all shaped through a single editorial vision. More than a recipe collection, the book was conceived as a brand medium—an expression of Rinnai’s perspective on a richer relationship between food and everyday life.

For the Rinnai Leggiero website, we led the entire digital development—from concept development and information architecture to art direction, web design, and front-end development. Beginning with the product concept, “Delicious meals, effortlessly, every day,” and shitsujitsu-jūken—a contemporary reinterpretation of Rinnai’s long-standing aesthetic sensibility of shitsujitsu-gōken—we conceived the website not simply as a product introduction, but as an expression of a new way of experiencing food and everyday life. Leggiero was conceived to be as minimal a presence as possible, yet as useful a tool as possible. Its quiet beauty, everyday practicality, the food it creates, and the moments shared with those we care about were brought together as a single world. Product, function, recipes, photography, language, and interaction were carefully integrated across every layer of the experience—from information architecture and visual design to motion and front-end implementation. Beyond communicating features and specifications, the website embodies Leggiero’s idea of being “easy to use and beautiful” through its own appearance and usability—creating a digital expression of the aesthetic philosophy behind the product and Rinnai’s vision for a richer relationship between food and everyday life.

For the recipe development of Rinnai Leggiero, we began with a fundamental question: What does an ideal food culture mean to Rinnai? Working closely with culinary expert Naoko Tanijiri, we developed a collection of dishes and recipes that translate this philosophy into everyday food. Rinnai’s long-standing aesthetic sensibility of shitsujitsu-gōken was reinterpreted for contemporary food and living as shitsujitsu-jūken—bringing together integrity and enduring quality with gentleness and consideration for everyday life. Making use of Leggiero’s ability to bring out the natural qualities of ingredients through waterless cooking, we focused not on elaborate dishes for special occasions, but on food that can be prepared effortlessly every day while bringing comfort to both body and mind. Ingredients, cooking methods, flavor, presentation, and the experience of the table were considered as a whole and refined through repeated experimentation. Rather than developing recipes simply to demonstrate the product’s functions, we translated Leggiero’s philosophy—“Delicious meals, effortlessly, every day”—into food, creating a culinary expression of Rinnai’s vision for a richer relationship between food and everyday life.

For the integrated promotion of Rinnai’s hybrid water heating and heating system ECO ONE, we led the development of the brand concept and creative direction across TV commercials, digital, and graphic communications. Rather than communicating its combination of gas and electricity simply through energy-saving performance, we reframed the technology around the broader value it creates for everyday life, society, and the environment. We defined this value through three dimensions of warmth: warmth for everyday life, warmth for the household, and warmth for the Earth. Under the message “Live Beautifully, on a Beautiful Earth,” the campaign presents comfort and environmental responsibility not as opposing choices, but as parts of the same richer way of living. Beyond communicating the function of residential equipment, the project uses warmth—one of the most fundamental human experiences—to reconsider the relationship between people, everyday life, nature, and the future.

For the website of Rinnai’s hybrid water heating and heating system ECO ONE, we led the entire development—from concept and information architecture to art direction, web design, and front-end development. Rather than simply explaining ECO ONE’s technology and energy-saving performance through its optimal combination of gas and electricity, we conceived the website as a brand experience that communicates the broader value it brings to everyday life, household economy, and the global environment. We organized the value of ECO ONE around three dimensions of warmth: warmth for everyday life, bringing comfort to both body and mind; warmth for the household, supporting greater economic efficiency; and warmth for the Earth, helping protect the environment for future generations. Under the message “Live Beautifully, on a Beautiful Earth,” photography, film, copy, graphics, and motion were brought together to create an intuitive digital experience connecting the product’s technology and performance with the richer way of living they make possible. While providing the clarity and functionality required of a product website, we developed a coherent brand world aligned with the TV commercial and wider campaign. Through this integrated experience, ECO ONE is presented not simply as an energy-efficient system, but as a new choice for everyday living—one that brings comfort and a more sustainable future together.

For the brand renewal of Rinnai’s Micro Bubble Bath Unit, we led the project from brand strategy and concept development to TV commercial planning and creative direction, digital, graphics, and product design. The project began with the renewal of an existing product previously marketed as Bi-Hakuyu. Through a series of Brand Sprint workshops with members from product development, sales, and other teams, we reconsidered not only the product’s functions and market positioning, but the deeper value Rinnai could bring to people’s lives through this technology. Rather than focusing on the technology that generates microbubbles itself, we turned our attention to the comfort, sensory experience, and richness of time it creates. The product was repositioned from one defined primarily by functional benefits into a brand that elevates the everyday experience of bathing, rebuilding its direction and communication under the Micro Bubble Bath Unit identity. For the TV commercial, rather than relying on conventional explanations of specifications and performance, we expressed the experience of being immersed in warm water and the gradual release of body and mind through light, water, skin, sound, and film. This world was extended consistently across digital, graphics, photography, and product design, transforming the project from a product renewal into a prototype for a new Rinnai brand experience. It became the starting point for the broader brand development work that followed.

For the large-scale brand renewal of Digital Garage, we led the planning, creative direction, and production across the entire brand communication system—from redefining the brand strategy and design to the complete renewal of the corporate and IR websites, development of the brand film, and launch of the owned media platform DG Portal. As the company and its businesses continued to expand, we sought not simply to communicate each business individually, but to redefine a shared brand direction around what Digital Garage stands for and the value it aims to create for society. At the heart of the renewed brand, we established the tagline “Designing New Context” as an expression of the company’s purpose. Digital Garage operates across technology, payments, marketing, investment, and other fields, continuously creating new connections and contexts between them. This philosophy was translated into a coherent brand world across visual identity, film, digital experiences, and language. We also launched DG Portal as an evolving brand medium where the company’s ideas, initiatives, people, and technologies could be continuously documented and communicated. For the corporate and IR websites, we went beyond reorganizing corporate, business, and investor information, designing an information experience through which shareholders, investors, clients, partners, employees, and potential talent could understand both the present and future of Digital Garage. By creating a brand platform capable of evolving alongside the company, the project aimed to elevate Digital Garage’s perceived value as a technology and consulting company that creates new possibilities for society.

For the large-scale brand renewal of Digital Garage, we led the planning, creative direction, and production across the entire brand communication system—from redefining the brand strategy and design to the complete renewal of the corporate and IR websites, development of the brand film, and launch of the owned media platform DG Portal. As the company and its businesses continued to expand, we sought not simply to communicate each business individually, but to redefine a shared brand direction around what Digital Garage stands for and the value it aims to create for society. At the heart of the renewed brand, we established the tagline “Designing New Context” as an expression of the company’s purpose. Digital Garage operates across technology, payments, marketing, investment, and other fields, continuously creating new connections and contexts between them. This philosophy was translated into a coherent brand world across visual identity, film, digital experiences, and language. We also launched DG Portal as an evolving brand medium where the company’s ideas, initiatives, people, and technologies could be continuously documented and communicated. For the corporate and IR websites, we went beyond reorganizing corporate, business, and investor information, designing an information experience through which shareholders, investors, clients, partners, employees, and potential talent could understand both the present and future of Digital Garage. By creating a brand platform capable of evolving alongside the company, the project aimed to elevate Digital Garage’s perceived value as a technology and consulting company that creates new possibilities for society.

For the launch of DG Portal, Digital Garage’s owned media platform, we led the development from media concept and content strategy to information architecture, art direction, web design, and the establishment of its editorial framework. Rather than simply reporting on the company’s diverse businesses, DG Portal was conceived as a brand medium that deepens understanding and perceived value by continuously communicating the ideas, technologies, people, and projects behind Digital Garage. Beginning with the brand philosophy “Designing New Context,” the editorial explores technology, business, culture, and social change, revealing how Digital Garage sees the future and creates new value and relationships. Through interviews, projects, research, and technology-focused stories, the platform makes visible the intelligence and culture of the company that cannot be fully expressed through a conventional corporate website. Rather than functioning as a channel for temporary news, DG Portal was designed as an evolving archive where the company’s activities, ideas, and knowledge accumulate over time and become brand assets in their own right. Content, editorial, and design were developed as a single system, creating an ongoing form of brand communication that continuously deepens the understanding of Digital Garage.

As part of the Digital Garage brand renewal, we developed the Brand Guideline Website to establish a consistent design system across the entire group. Rather than treating brand guidelines simply as a set of rules, we positioned them as “The Compass for Context Designer”—a practical platform that enables employees and partners to understand the philosophy behind the brand and translate it into their everyday work. Digital Garage Brand Design Beginning with the brand’s Identity, Personality, and Design Philosophy, the system defines its core foundations—including logo, typography, color, iconography, and imagery—as well as digital components such as grids, buttons, tables, navigation, and breakpoints. PR assets, social media applications, Figma-based Digital Design Kits, and other resources were also integrated into the platform, balancing brand consistency with practical usability. Digital Garage Brand Design More than a guideline designed simply to protect the brand, it was conceived as a living design system: a shared set of principles that enables employees and creative partners to work autonomously while continuously creating new expressions that remain distinctly Digital Garage.