WALKMAN®
NWD-W270 series
The fun of fitness,
clear in design of
all kinds
From the body colors to the shape of
packaging and style of accessories,
the fun of fitness and pleasure of
aquatic listening is always clear.
Industrial Design
〈 NWD-W270 series 〉
Exhilarating athletic colors
Walkman® colors are updated each year, as part of overall planning. For this W series player, new colors were considered to accentuate the compelling, fitness-minded features. On the theme of swimming, colors recalling sea life were explored. Other potential colors reflected outdoor scenery viewed on a hike, inspirations from nature, or soothing hues. Ultimately, fitness themes were conveyed directly, with black recalling athletic speed and strength, the fresh white of sportswear, blue complementing swimmers, and the pink of vivid synchronized swimming. It’s a vibrant, aquatic blue, as refreshing as an exhilarating swim.
Note: Color options in Japan: black, white, and blue
Stylish even
after the music stops
Even the charger is stylish. Although only one end of this W series player is used for charging, the player should also look its best just sitting there, so instead of a charger attached at a single end, it holds both. On the optional carrying case, a highlight is the waterproof zipper. This keeps any moisture from the pool away from bags it’s carried in. These are the kinds of scenarios designers anticipated for this W series player, which don’t end when the music stops.
Communication Design
〈 NWD-W270 series 〉
A stylish, sporty image
In packaging design, the tapered bottom fits the stylish, sporty image well. This tapering gives the window more volume and accentuates the headphones, where your gaze naturally settles. Round packaging shows products from many angles. To showcase the headphones and conceal packaging details, we kept the fasteners inside small and discreet, through repeated discussions with packaging engineers. In each color, the energy and dynamism of sports is clear. Background colors with impact set the product apart in stores.
Fit is paramount in this W series player, so we wanted the packaging to demonstrate how it’s worn. We used space in the packaging to highlight the player’s elegant lines and curves and show how the earbuds fit in your ears. Success came only after creating and testing several mock-ups.
Matsuda, designer
The NWD-W270 series makes a splash
in aquatic listening as never before.
Look to Sony for new listening experiences,
in groundbreaking Walkman players
and unmatched innovation.
color palette
W series body colors were narrowed down to black and white, essentially. It’s quite a basic color palette—black or white—accented by blue or pink bands, if you prefer. Yet I took on the challenge of distinguishing each color option as much as possible, just through the band colors.
Kawai, producer and senior designer