Communicating the product's worldview and story through color and texture,"HA-NP1T"CMF Design

The HA-NP1T was announced in November 2024 as the Victor brand's first ear cuff-style wireless earphones. Based on the concept of "accessories that let you listen to sound = sound accessories," this product comes in unique color variations such as "teal blue" and "maroon," and CMF Design, which determines the product's color, materials, and finish, played a major role in its development. Narita, who is in charge of product design at JVC Kenwood Design, looks back on the design process for this product.

Building a worldview and thorough research that determines CMF design

How did you come up with the concept of this product, an accessory that lets you hear sounds?
At the initial proposal stage, in addition to the product specifications and target, there was a broad concept of "making earphones like accessories." When the project began in 2023, developing ear cuff-style earphones was an unprecedented endeavor for the Victor brand. For that reason, we thought that by going all out with a product shaped like an accessory, we could differentiate ourselves from other companies while taking advantage of the distinctive features of the ear cuff shape. At JVCKENWOOD Design, we discussed with team members through meetings how to interpret the concept and incorporate it into the final design, such as the CMF.

What is the CMF design consideration process?

I think it's very important to create a worldview when designing something that people want to wear and choose. What kind of lifestyles do the users we deliver our products to lead, what kind of sensibilities do they use to choose things, and what do they prefer? Once we have determined the core values ​​that the product will present, we decide on the specific texture and color. Also, in recent years, earphones have become more of a means of self-expression than just a tool for listening to sound. The product you choose is a statement of "what kind of lifestyle you live/want to live," and wearing them has become a tool that shows your individuality and preferences.

For example, in this case, the ideal user for the product is a woman with an urban, sophisticated sensibility who values ​​her own sensibilities and wants each and every item she wears to reflect her own values ​​and sensibilities.

How did you go about determining the specific colors?

We used information that forecasts global trends and popular colors to research what materials are being chosen to express these trends, interpreting the current context, and then chose the colors that would express this worldview. In order to avoid judgement being based solely on intuition, we make sure to present convincing data as we create the worldview.

We were also conscious of the atmosphere created when the product's color variations were displayed in a group, and sought to strike a balance that would convey the product's worldview. At the same time as the coloring, we also considered the color names, proposing color names that convey subtle nuances by calling the color "maroon" instead of brown and the grayish light blue "ice gray." Based on the target values ​​and product concept, we proposed a challenging color for earphones. When we conducted a survey of female employees who were close to the target profile of this product, the current "maroon" and "teal blue" received the most votes, which was also a deciding factor. The support of the planning staff at headquarters also played a major role.

Tell a story with texture and color, like a film director

Please also tell us about the process of considering the finish.

I think the CMF design, which eliminates the feeling of a gadget and allows the product to be worn like an accessory, was what we were most conscious of when creating this product. We wanted to create a finish that would blend in seamlessly with the accessories we wear every day, so we constantly kept samples on hand to consider the color and texture. In the end, it was packed in a mock-up manufacturer's factory, and we had a professional color matcher provide us with samples to make repeated fine adjustments. Sometimes the actual paint doesn't match what we imagined, so we spent about 2.5 days perfecting it.

The arm is coated with a metal vapor deposition coating, and colors chosen to complement accessories such as bronze, champagne gold, and platinum are also popular. I wanted to create an experience that would convey the excitement and thrill of the moment you open the case, so I created a contrast between the case body and the inner ring through texture and color, which accentuates the brilliance of the metallic arm.

Three new colors, "Eternal Blue," "Salty Olive," and "Sand Peach," were added in the summer of 2025. How did you go about considering these?

Since it was decided from the beginning that the product would be released in the summer, we designed three additional colors that had a seasonal feel. We were unsure how different they should be from the original five colors, but simply changing the appearance would result in a product with no depth, so we proposed a direction that would give it a story and resonate with users.

Since the base target is the same, we came up with a similar user scenario: where would a fashion-conscious city woman go on her summer vacation? That's when the story of these women came to mind: they would surely go to the south of France to spend a romantic and sweet summer. We chose these three colors while imagining what kind of earphones they would wear when spending a vacation different from the city.

Each of the new colors, featuring polarized pearl, has a story behind it. The base color and pearl color are perceived as a single landscape, like a summer sea bathed in the setting sun or trees shining in the setting sun. We hope that these subtle nuances of color will evoke the scenery and story of a journey.

I think I have a habit of thinking like a movie when I'm putting together a project. I imagine directing a two-hour movie with the target person as the main character, as if I were a movie director. In this case, I imagined her packing her favorite clothes and heels in a suitcase, carrying a small bag, and heading to the south of France, and expanded on that image. I try to verbalize the story to convey the worldview so that the members of the company can empathize with it, and I am conscious of communicating it not only with images but also with text. Creating something that can be referred to later is important so that the members' understanding doesn't become disjointed as we move forward with promoting the product. That's why the text gets longer every year... (laughs).

New brand product design that transcends gender and age

When creating this kind of worldview, is there anything you usually keep in mind?

I normally watch movies of all genres, and I also enjoy watching short films. I like films that have space to think. I've always been interested in fashion, so I read magazines regularly and often books. I also try to watch fashion shows, including men's fashion, to see what colors are trending at the moment and what materials they're being used in. I also look at street snaps and social media to get inspiration for the lifestyles of the people featured in this concept.

What was the response to the product?

I often read reviews and comments on the products I've worked on, and I've seen people choose these earphones like they choose their clothes, and some people fell in love with the color at first sight and bought them. Some people even use different colors, and I was so happy because I wanted people to use them in that way.

We were also able to receive the Good Design Award for 2025, and it was selected as one of the judges' "My Favorite Product." We were delighted to hear from the judges that "it has a beauty that will attract many users, regardless of gender or age." We were also informed by the head office that the product has many male users, not just female, and we feel glad that we were able to create a product that will be loved and used by more people than we had originally expected.

Similarly, during the selection process for the Good Design Award, a judge told me, "That's a very Japanese way of using color," which also made a lasting impression on me. In the written comments, they said, "The delicate colors and high-quality texture create an appearance like an accessory. The careful attention paid to every small component gives the product a sense of dignity," and although I hadn't been aware of it myself, it made me realize that there may be a very Japanese sensibility in the sense of balance and sensibility of CMF. As a designer working for a Japanese audio equipment manufacturer, these words made me very happy. At first, I didn't really get it, but I would like to use this to my advantage in the future as I search for the answer myself.

Finally, please tell us what you would like to work on in the future.

Earphones are already a mature genre in the market, but I think we're entering an era where they're not just for listening to music, but are chosen as a tool to express one's individuality and preferences. In this context, I dream of designing a new, unique product while preserving the Victor identity. Designing branded products is interesting because it expresses the brand's identity while also considering what is needed to reach an even larger audience, and it's fun to come together as a team and create a consistent story from product design to promotion.

Until now, I've mainly worked on small products that fit on the finger, like earphones, so in the future I'd like to try designing larger, more voluminous products like headphones. I'm sure it will change the way we present products, our way of thinking, and our perspective. I feel there's still a lot I can do, so I want to keep greedily designing all kinds of things.