A branding project to capture the soul of SSS
and open up new horizons

Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS), one of the Sony Group's core businesses, uses a global network spanning research and development, product planning, design, production, and sales to provide one-stop, integrated solutions. Its image sensor business—powering smartphones, digital cameras, and more—holds the world's biggest market share.^*1 And as advances in AI and IoT press on, SSS has expanded rapidly into sensing for mobility, factory automation, and security.

Amid this growth, the company put forward a bold vision, embodied in its corporate slogan "Sense the Wonder." Despite the vital role they play in daily life and society, semiconductors had long remained out of the spotlight. This branding initiative set out to make that hidden appeal and value visible—to give form to SSS's mission and broaden its image in the public eye.

The project didn't just communicate outwardly; it also fostered unity within the organization and sparked new developments. In this dialogue, SSS's first president and current chairman, Terushi Shimizu, sits down with Motoo Fuse from the Creative Center to discuss how design helped express SSS's identity and point toward new possibilities.

*1 Sony research (on a monetary basis)

FuseAs a communication designer at the Creative Center, I came on board the SSS branding project in 2019. Could you walk us through how things led up to that point, about three years after SSS was founded in November 2015?

ShimizuI took on the role of president when SSS first launched. Right out of the gate, global demand for semiconductors in smartphones skyrocketed—and business at SSS boomed. At the same time, though, there were escalating economic tensions between the US and China and other big changes going on. As president, I felt a real responsibility to steer the company through those transformations while also finding ways to raise our corporate value. That was when people inside the company started saying, "We should be putting out a clear brand message of our own."
Even though our semiconductors were in use all over the world, most people didn't realize the devices in their hands had Sony parts inside. I knew we had to take the initiative to shine the spotlight on what SSS was—and that's what led us to reach out to the Creative Center for help with branding.

Fuse"Branding" tends to mean showcasing the strengths of a company or a product lineup. But with SSS, I felt the challenge was a bit different; we had to reach people on a more emotional level and broaden perceptions of the company. So we started by talking with you and lots of people in different roles at SSS about what makes the company special. We heard things about the open, Sony-like culture, the advanced technical expertise the company's built up, and the chance to take on the challenges of working at the cutting edge of semiconductors. When we pulled those conversations together and analyzed what we'd gathered, three big themes stood out.
First was the notion that the time to lay the groundwork for the future is when things are going well. That was something you've often emphasized yourself, Shimizu-san.
Second, responses echoed the idea that SSS's value lies in the consistency of its operations, from technologies and development through to production. The Group as a whole—a variety of organizations that includes Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing, which handles production, and overseas locations —works together with SSS at the core to create enormous value. So the question was how to keep cultivating that sense of unity, and that was an internal element to address.
The third had to do with securing human resources. What people said, essentially, was that the advanced technologies at SSS come from the people who create and sustain them. To keep bringing in new talent and keep the organization fresh, then, we needed to raise the profile of SSS—an effort that needed to look outward, not inward.
With those three points in mind, we suggested starting out by creating a message that would really capture SSS's appeal and form the foundation for the branding project.

ShimizuYour proposal had a clear outlook, too. Before putting out a message externally, we should be getting everyone inside the Group on the same page about our goals and raising awareness internally. That way, the future we imagine is something that really feels like our own. Coming from a design perspective, it made a lot of sense to me. It was clear and made so much sense.

Sharing the SSS vision to create
a design with a unifying power

FuseThank you. When we first spoke, you mentioned that SSS already had its own vision, mission, and action guidelines in place—but that they hadn't fully taken root within the company yet.
The mission statement, for example, was worded as: "We contribute to richer lives and society by inspiring minds while also realizing a safe, secure, convenient, and efficient society." As a designer, I felt my role was to turn those words into something shorter and easier to remember—and then pair them with visuals that would really stick in people's minds. That way, employees could understand and share the ideas better. In the end, we distilled the mission into the phrase "To spark imaginations and enrich society through the power of technology."
The team also proposed reframing the "action guidelines" as "values." That was when you gave us a crucial hint: that "values" should cover both the value SSS provides to customers and the values employees share with each other. That's actually a pretty unusual combination; even looking at other companies, you rarely see those two senses of value presented together. It struck me as a unique idea.

ShimizuI remember a comment from one of our suppliers. From the perspective of a company aiming to sell good products, when a manufacturer clearly defines what its strengths are and what kind of stance it's taking, that clarity becomes a huge motivator for the people doing the marketing. In other words, sharing values inside the company naturally flows outward and strengthens external communication, as well. That insight really made me think.

FuseOne comment I'll never forget came from an employee: "People all over the world have our products in their hands in the form of smartphones. In the future, the scale might reach into the hundreds of billions or even trillions. Just imagining that excites me." But in the same breath, they added, "It's such a shame that hardly anyone knows that." Those words had a big influence in shaping my approach to the branding effort.

ShimizuThose words hit home for me, too, although I did wonder whether highlighting one strength of our identity—being part of the Sony Group—would really connect with end users in a positive way. But in recent years, I've been hearing more and more companies, many abroad, saying they want to advertise that their smartphones are equipped with SSS's image sensors; foregrounding that raises the value of their own products.
I think that shift in attitude came from first firming up our identity internally—our mission, vision, and values—and then steadily communicating on all fronts, including products, to the outside. Bit by bit, people began to recognize SSS's value. I still remember my reaction to the key visual with the square element the first time I saw it. It perfectly captured the sense of "focusing" and "zooming" that image sensors evoke. And best of all, when someone from outside asked, "What is this square supposed to mean?" we could give them a clear, confident answer.

FuseThe design for the key visual started out in applications like internal posters and covers for handouts. Once it appeared on cover slides in presentations for customers, though, employees started saying, "We should be showing this off more." That motivation to showcase the design outside the company helped drive the move toward external branding. Over the course of about a year, we created the corporate slogan, variations of the key visual, a video, and more.
When we designed the key visual, we focused on keeping it simple and easy to remember. By layering the square frame—a symbol of our technology—over a wide range of backgrounds, from macro to micro, we built a worldview where the spotlight is on SSS's technology at work, then and there. Whatever the background image is, that square instantly makes you think of SSS.
In crafting the corporate slogan, "Sense the Wonder," we explored so many options for the copy. But the pairing of "sense" and "wonder" felt like the perfect fit, combining the spirit of innovation at the heart of SSS's business with a Sony-esque vibe. From a communication design perspective, I remember how it just clicked.^*2 After rolling out these elements in 2021, we ran a full-page ad in the Nikkei Shimbun nationwide in January 2022 that featured your thoughts on the branding.

ShimizuWhat I remember about that time was how much the world around us was changing. We're always hearing about semiconductors today, but they rarely made the news back then. It wasn't until stories started coming out right around that time about foreign companies building factories in Japan that semiconductors made their way into the public conversation. Our branding rollout happened right around then, and it really felt like the tide was shifting.

*2 Sony Semiconductor Solutions official website: Vision As part of the branding project, the SSS website was revamped to announce the mission, vision, values, and more.

Inheriting Sony's "spirit of creation" to
forge ahead toward a better future

ShimizuPersonally, I've always felt a deep connection to the semiconductor business. When I look back at the history of Sony—a company celebrated for its open, free-spirited culture and for bringing a steady stream of groundbreaking products into the world—I can't help but think that the semiconductor business carries that same spirit forward. It's a field where you have to keep developing, keep improving performance, and keep boosting value. In that sense, it embodies Sony's spirit of technological innovation.

FuseI feel the same way. At the Creative Center, we often talk about what "Sony-ness" really means from a design perspective. One of the designers I really look up to used to say, "Continuously changing is the one unchanging value." That phrase has stayed with me, basically forming my personal design philosophy. I want people at SSS to connect with the vision in the same way—the design can only be effective when people inside the company are conscious of it and make it part of their daily work. Take the key visual, for example: we've shared guidelines for how to size and position it so that everyone can use it easily, even as a background for online meetings.

ShimizuI tell employees to treat our mission, vision, and values as something to turn to when they run into challenges. In an environment that's constantly changing, it's important for each person to have a connection to Sony's spirit of creation. The key visual has also taken root, too—you can see it at a variety of the company's sites and even on prominent display at Kumamoto Airport, right near where Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing is based.
So both the words and the visual design have really sunk in throughout SSS. They've become a touchstone for how we think and how we work—a reliable guide. At the same time, I've always believed you can't get too satisfied with strong results; you have to be ready for what comes next, whenever it might come. That's why the third issue we talked about, how to bring in top talent, remains such a critical theme.

FuseThat's right. From the design side, we've been collaborating with other companies on recruitment. That effort has come together in the form of "SEMICON TALK," a joint recruiting event that multiple semiconductor firms offer for students. The idea originated in the realization that the whole industry is struggling to hire engineers. From hardware and software to circuit design and production, every field is feeling the crunch. Instead of competing over a shrinking pool, I suggested—even though I may be a designer—joining forces.

ShimizuOne of the key challenges facing Japan's semiconductor industry is not only engaging with students, but also broadening public understanding and recognition of semiconductors society-wide. This is not something that can be accomplished by any one company alone; it requires collective efforts by all peers in the field.

FuseFor SEMICON TALK, Sony contributed budget, operations staff, the logo, and designs for materials that eventgoers would be receiving. From there, we called on five major Japanese semiconductor companies to carry the flag together, so to speak. The first event was at Kobe University in 2024, and we followed that up with the second gathering at Hokkaido University in 2025. Seeing students with excitement and drive in their eyes visiting the company booths was really gratifying. It's not just about students, either—it's also about making the semiconductor industry more visible and giving it a stronger presence in the public eye. And there are other potential benefits. Instead of leaving recruiting know-how for the semiconductor field in the hands of outside consultants, for example, these events can also give HR teams from the participating companies the chance to gain that expertise directly.

ShimizuIt's the kind of initiative that really embodies Sony's free-spirited nature. The big question going forward is how we can keep building and reforming a culture of communication across company and area lines. If we don't keep these kinds of things going, I doubt we'll be able to elevate our corporate value.

FuseFor me personally, the project was a chance to broaden the scope of what design means—and it was illuminating. In B2B design, cycles are much longer than they are for B2C products and services. It can take years to see results. That's been frustrating at times. But through SEMICON TALK, I realized that longer cycles also give you the opportunity to nurture longer-lasting communication that leaves a deeper, more enduring impression. It all started with digging into ideas together with you, Shimizu-san, which made me feel welcomed and accepted as part of SSS. And being able to stay involved, from shaping the overall corporate vision to proposing recruitment events, has been an invaluable experience for me as a designer.

ShimizuWorking with you, Fuse-san, really showed me how much care you put into listening. Through the whole experience, I learned that design isn't just about making something that looks good—it's about really understanding people's thinking and then reflecting it in the design. That's why it takes so much time and effort. Looking back, I was a bit unsure about getting the SSS brand out there at the very beginning. But what we ended up with was so much more positive than what I'd originally imagined. It's delivered a real impact, and it's something I'm proud to share with anyone. I can't wait to see what roles design will play for us in the future.