NSK stands out as one of the world’s leading bearing manufacturers, holding the third-largest market share in bearings globally. The company specializes in the bearings used in engines and motors for cars, trains, and aircraft, areas that demand exceptional precision and advanced technology. With its high level of technological expertise and product reliability, NSK has for many years been at the forefront of this industry.

“__ with MOTION & CONTROL” is a brand activation project based on NSK’s vision for its current advertising campaign. Underpinning this vision are two consistent themes: the creation of novel movements and the application of “MOTION & CONTROL.” These themes are embodied by Takram’s advanced engineering capabilities, which include prototyping, and NSK’s products. The campaign aims to highlight the brand’s core attributes by showcasing NSK components that typically remain out of sight in daily life—in this case, bearings—through the lens of engineering excellence.

The 2023 project on the theme of “bouncing” involved months of iterative ideation and the prototyping of a machine based on NSK’s Monocarrier. The aim was to build a mechanism that wasn’t just feasible from an engineering perspective but also showcased precise and visually appealing movements, creating a dynamic visual depiction of NSK’s technical prowess.

To realize the Bouncing project’s highly challenging idea of flying and controlling a ball in the air, a physics simulator and a control system were developed. By iterating with this software, we achieved extremely precise movements without resorting to CGI.

Design Engineer, Project Director

Minoru's work stretches wide from big data visualisation and UI/UX design to service design. He received MITOH Program Super Creator, Software Innovation in 2007 and completed the doctorate program at Tokyo University of The Arts, Department of Design in 2014 before joining Takram in 2014.

Minoru Sakurai

Prototyping Engineer, Designer, Project Director

Tatsuya Narita graduated from Tama Art University, Department of Information Design. He joined Takram in 2014 as an associate. He works on hardware development and prototyping using electronics and digital fabrication technology. His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo “Ars Electronica–30 Years for Art and Media Technology” exhibition in 2010, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT “Motion Science” exhibition, and 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT “ traNslatioNs” exhibition. Awards include 2009 Prix Ars Electronica, [the next idea] honorary mention.

Tatsuya Narita

Design Engineer

Satoru Osawa started his career as a researcher in a company manufacturing digital broadcasting products, working on microwaves including millimetre waves. Later, he entered IAMAS (Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences) and also studied Interface Cultures as an exchange student at the University of Art and Design in Linz. He is interested in physical interaction, putting an emphasis on interaction design which accompanies motion. Hardware prototyping is one of his strongest suits. He joined Takram in 2016.

Satoru Osawa

Design Strategist, Project Director

Ken is a design strategist, focusing and experimenting on possible applications and cultures for different technologies.

Ken Fujiyoshi

Business Designer, Project Director

After studying design methods such as design thinking, design research, and speculative design during her years at Keio University, Megumi joined ADK Holdings as a strategic planner. She had led marketing and branding projects for domestic and global markets with clients ranging from multi-national corporates to startups.

Megumi Kanno

Art Director, Graphic Designer, XR Designer

After working for several companies as a graphic designer, Tomoro has been involved in branding for a variety of projects, from After working for several companies as a graphic designer, he has been involved in branding for various projects, from professional baseball teams to city policies. Joined Taram in 2020. Major projects include logo design for J.LEAGUE 30th Anniversary, VI design for VISASQ Rebranding and VI design for the smart furniture platform Kachaka. and a SILVER PRIZE and SUPER DOMMUNE PRIZE at the In his private life, he is a member of the extreme improvisation collective ”Atochi”.

Tomoro Hanzawa

Design Engineer, Sound Designer, Project Director

Keisuke Oyama conducted research and development on sound design/musical interfaces while attending Keio University, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies. After graduation, he joined IMG SRC inc. where he worked on interactive installations/mobile applications as an engineer. Sharing Takram’s philosophy on working freely across the fields of design/engineering and software/hardware, he joined the company in 2015.

Keisuke Oyama

R&D, concept dev and visualisation of futures and not-for-market products and ideas for external audience

Futures

Branding, Visual identity, corporate identity

Brand

R&D, design, prototyping of hardware products & experiences

Hardware

R&D, design, prototyping of spatial experiences such as retail, installation, exhibition etc

Spatial

Global campaign for a manufacturer of machine parts, including bearings

Bouncing with MOTION & CONTROL

We planned and produced the global campaign “__ with MOTION & CONTROL” for NSK Corporation, starting with “Running with MOTION & CONTROL” in 2020 and following it with “Connecting” and then “Drawing.” In 2023, under the theme of “Bouncing,” we were responsible for designing mechanisms and control systems as well as producing the finished video and graphics.

The campaign video showcases NSK’s role in providing MOTION & CONTROL across various applications through its proprietary mechanisms. It illustrates NSK’s push into the future, leveraging its ability to harness swift and accurate movements.

Bouncing with MOTION & CONTROL

Project Information

Team