As a student, I majored in product design, so I was interested in working for a manufacturer. Among them, I felt that Honda had a unique charm compared to other product manufacturers in its application of the technology gained from mobility development to other fields.

In particular, the product that I found impressive was “Ropot”*, a traffic safety advice robot. A small robot designed to watch over the younger elementary school children, it uses Honda's mobility safety technology and location information navigation system. I was attracted to the idea of utilizing the technological prowess gained in mobility for other fields and developing products that contribute to society. That is why I wanted to work at Honda.

It was decided that it would be exhibited at a motor show in Indonesia, and the development manager made a request to the Design Center. They said, “Considering that there are many flashy cars at the shows in Indonesia, we want you to come up with a wrapping design that conveys the appeal of this EV while also incorporating a message about Honda's electrification”. That was two months before the show. With time being limited, we were in a rush to make preparations. This was less than a month after I was assigned my post.

Honda has a corporate culture that allows even newcomers to take on various challenges shortly after joining. This time, we were dealing with EVs, and the project was for an overseas exhibition. The company Honda “wanted the younger generation to lead the way in the upcoming trend of electrification” and to “have the younger generation gain experience in global projects”. With this in mind, as a new associate, I was assigned to this project. I was surprised to receive such a significant opportunity so soon after joining, but I thought since I’ve been given this chance, I’ll do my best to catch up with my seniors and make the project a success.

They requested “a theme centered on EV (electricity)” and wanted the “‘Honda e:TECHNOLOGY’ logo to be included”. So, I created the initial design proposal based on these requirements.

The initial challenge was how to express the invisible nature of electricity. I thought it might be easier to imagine if I used things that are part of everyone’s daily life. So, I experimented with representations using outlets, cables, and other elements.

I was quite confident with the initial design proposal, but the response from the developers was not as positive. I hadn’t fully captured the developers’ desire “to convey the image of the clean society that Honda aims to achieve through the N-VAN e:”. I realized that expressing electricity alone wasn’t enough, so I made a major shift in direction at this time.

I expressed “an image of people leading a clean life with ‘electricity’” by depicting a cityscape of the future. I specifically focused on a future cityscape that everyone could imagine, without a clear indication of a particular town. I aimed for a design that would make people excited about the possibility of such a lifestyle in the future. When I conveyed that sentiment, the developers said “That’s good,” and finally, our directions were aligned.

Rather than depicting a current realistic cityscape, the most important thing for me was to draw a “city of the near future” with the hope for a clean society, making it exciting for those who see it. Specifically, in the illustrations of the cityscape, I subtly incorporated buildings in the shapes of batteries and outlets. Including some playfulness by adding the thought, “Future buildings could be shaped like these!”

The electricity that supports the buildings in the cityscape is primarily generated by natural forces such as wind and thermal power. Based on this, I included trees and wind turbines to evoke the image of Honda's goal of “coexistence with nature”.

Until the design was finalized, we couldn't wrap it on the actual vehicle, so I struggled in refining the details as we moved forward. At that point, I asked a senior colleague in the same department to project the illustration onto a 3D model and recreate it in a VR space.

With VR, I could see the wrap design as if the vehicle was right in front of me. This allowed me to notice any irregularities that I might not have realized on a computer screen. Also, the use of VR generated some ideas that wouldn't have surfaced otherwise. By refining the details in this manner, I could bring the design to completion even without the actual vehicle.

I guess I became aware of the perspective of imagining how the N-VAN e: is actually running through the city. For example, the design when viewing the rear of the vehicle. Looking into the traffic conditions in Indonesia, I found that there was a lot of congestion. That means the car may be seen from behind, quite often. Taking that into consideration, I connected the side and rear designs, creating a design that conveys the intention even when viewed from behind. I think being able to consider such aspects is where I have grown.

Honda's goal is not just to develop EVs but to create a clean society through the widespread adoption of EVs. In order to promote the widespread adoption of commercial EVs, which is a step toward that goal, it is important for people to first become aware of their existence in society.

Out of the various means, wrapping design is visible from any direction and can effectively convey the message to pedestrians and other drivers, not only as a show car but also as a means of reaching a wider audience. For example, by viewing the car as a moving canvas, the design not only leaves a strong impression on many people but also makes them wonder, “What is this?” or “It seems to be a new EV from Honda! Looks like fun!” It's something that allows people to imagine and resonate with.

I’m with the “Communication Design Studio” department, and as the name suggests, conveying Honda's passions to everyone through design is all about “communication”. This time, I implemented it through wrapping design, but I want to use various methods and designs to convey our message in the future.

The most attractive aspect is that even young professionals like me are given opportunities to take on challenges. We are entrusted with significant responsibilities, and our opinions are valued.

I believe the uniqueness of my design lies in the playfulness that makes people think, “This is interesting”. My senior colleagues appreciated that aspect and helped me develop it, so I was able to come up with proposals for a wrapping design that I was satisfied with.

The vision of Honda Design is “To bring surprises and joy to life”. It's not just about convenience and the ease of use, but also about the concealed playfulness that makes people feel excited, thinking “Oh, this is interesting!”. I also value curiosity and a bit of playfulness in my design, so in that sense, I feel there is a resonance with Honda.

I hope to be involved in designing everything at Honda in the future. Currently, many creative tasks like PR are outsourced, but in the future, I hope Honda can take full responsibility for them. I think the charm of Honda has not yet been fully conveyed. However, as employees of Honda, we can convey the passion and excellence of our products in a way that no one else can. So, I want to be involved in designing everything that Honda brings to the world.

In the future, rather than specializing in one thing as a professional, I would like to become a person who can flexibly handle everything related to design. A flexible professional, so to speak. I hope that everyone in the company will think, “If it’s a creative work, let’s have Nagai involved”, and I want to continue the challenge of various designs, starting with this wrapping design.