Perfume for Mazda’s Design Theme, “KODO-Soul of Motion”, Wins the Gold in “iF Design Award 2017 (Package Design Category)”

“SOUL of MOTION” perfume created by Shiseido for Mazda, was selected for the gold award in the package design category of the iF Design Award, one of the most coveted international design awards. The gold award is given to only 75 designs in all categories among 5,575 entries from 59 countries. Shiseido created the perfume (not for sale) to symbolize Mazda’s design theme, “KODO-Soul of Motion”. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on March 10 at BMW Welt in Munich, Germany. In addition to being exhibited at the iF Design Exhibition*1 in Hamburg, the winning designs will be featured in the Design Excellence section of the iF Design official website*2 and the iF Design App*3.

*1 An iF exhibition facility located in HafenCity district, Hamburg. Award-winning designs/projects are divided into three groups, each of which will be on display for about three months. (Digital-related winners will be exhibited throughout the year.)
*2 iF Design web portal: http://ifworlddesignguide.com/
As a portal focusing on design, it provides a wide variety of information on design-related companies, individuals, products, and events, in addition to iF Design Award related information.
*3 A mobile app for Android/iOS (free of charge) that features award-winning designs for three years.

SOUL of　MOTION（not for sale）

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I.Maeda (Mazda), K.Kawai and A.Muraoka (Shiseido), R.Wiegmann (iF International Forum Design GmbH)

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About the iF Design Award

Organized annually by the International Forum Design*4, the iF Design Award is one of the most respected design awards worldwide. Established in Hanover, Germany in 1953, it singles out instances of excellence of design in products and services primarily from around the world. Over 5,000 designs are entered every year and undergo rigorous screening by around 60 prominent jury members. The award recognizes exceptional work in seven different categories: 1. product, 2. packaging, 3. communication, 4. interior architecture, 5. professional concept, 6. service design, and 7. architecture.

*4 Independent organization with the longest history in Germany, which selects exquisite designs and confers the iF Design Award every year

Comment

Ms. Isabelle Dahlborg Lidström, a member of the 2017 iF Design Award jury, commented in “World Design Guide 2017” where listing all iF awarded designs that “This unique and innovative flacon from Shiseido is a creative metaphor to express the “Soul of Motion”, a concept created by Mazda for their automobile. The structural design captures the tension when muscle primes for action, borrowing both visual brand language from automotive design and the human body. Pure in form and function and harmonious, the outer sleeve has a subtle soft touch meant to feel like skin. The overall sculpture is itself a work of art”.

Collaboration between Shiseido and Mazda

The design theme “KODO” has been applied to Mazda’s new-generation products since 2012. This design expression seeks to embody vitality and additionally infuse it with Japanese aesthetic, which has found support among customers both in Japan and abroad.
Mazda has extended the design concept of “KODO” to objects beyond the automobile, producing a variety of artwork that gives form to the concept and philosophy, and expressing the worldview underlying “Soul of Motion”. Shiseido designed the perfume and the bottle with this Mazda’s design concept and unveiled “KODO” perfume in the Mazda booth at the AUTOMOBILE COUNCIL 2016 held in August 2016.
The theme of “SOUL of MOTION” perfume is “emotional simplicity　(the condensed excitement that remains after everything else has been stripped away)”. Fragrance, based on woody, leather and rose, is blended in unique essence which symbolizes “KODO” and expresses a firm character with dignity in silence. The design was inspired by the aesthetics of Japan, “stripping away everything to achieve a well-honed and conditioned beauty”, which is pursued for designing in Mazda. The beautiful design consists of edgy suspense and tension with the curved surfaces, the glass bottle exuding brilliance from the inside, as well as movement for extracting the container.

Design registered in Japan, China, and the EU. Application pending in the U.S.A.
Domestic patent pending for the joining mechanism.

Comment from Award Winners at Shiseido

We are very honored to receive this prestigious prize, the gold award of the “iF Design Award 2017 (Package Design Category).” The entire team is overjoyed that Mazda and Shiseido were able to elevate our shared Japanese aesthetic and together create a product that captures a growing concept and philosophy, and to receive worldwide recognition for this achievement.

Creative Director: Mr. Yoji Nobuto
Art Director: Ms. Kanako Kawai
Designer: Mr. Akira Muraoka