Bringing Yamaha’s “Make Waves” brand promise to life with “Play Your Sound” — a print campaign that celebrates individual expression in music
About the project
Yamaha had established the global brand message “Make Waves,” but struggled to express it in a way that emotionally resonated with audiences. We proposed a new concept — “Play your sound.” — to communicate that music isn’t about perfection or correctness, but about expressing one’s individuality.
The campaign featured two creative approaches.
In the first, we reimagined Beethoven’s Ode to Joy as a visual score filled with illustrated people playing, dancing, and enjoying music in their own way — a metaphor for how each person can find joy through their own sound.
In the second, we created a modular layout system that made Yamaha’s “Make Waves” brand identity easier to apply across print ads. The design system was built around the Yamaha logo’s geometry, and the photography style was filmic and documentary-like — capturing musicians in real, expressive moments. I led the design and photo art direction for both series.
Result
The campaign helped revitalize Yamaha’s brand image with a younger audience by focusing on authentic, individual expression. It was awarded at the 91st Mainichi Advertising Design Awards.