We wanted to communicate both the nostalgic ‘retro’ feeling of the exterior and the authentic cutting-edge qualities inside the camera. The aim of the product design team is to inspire people to identify with the product and encourage them to enjoy using it. In the case of the X100, I drew on my own personal experience and tried to imagine how people felt when they first encountered a camera – the sensation when they held it and felt the first stirring of the desire to frame and shoot a photo, and then I aimed to translate this comfortable intimacy inherent to a camera into a concrete design. I was able to experience firsthand the favorable response of the many people who came to Photokina in September (2010), and get direct confirmation that we were not mistaken in the design direction we chose.
Masazumi Imai
Design Centre.
Read the ongoing development story at: FinePix X100.