One may notice that most creatives tend to lean towards certain brands and products. Going beyond brand loyalty, these products have proven to be useful and effective in helping them achieve their creative goals — whatever they may be. It begs the question if one's tools do go a long way in influencing creative work processes and ease of working. And if so, what may be some features or design considerations made by the brands themselves to fully realise this?
Edwin Teoh, Head of Marketing, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore spares some of his time to share with B-Side more about Canon's latest products and how design is a big part of consumer satisfaction.
-
Congratulations on Canon's 40th Anniversary. Looking back at the 40 years so far, what do you think was done well to differentiate the brand from others, and what more can we expect in the future?
We are proud to celebrate 40 years in Singapore, and we believe that this momentous milestone was achieved through our continuous dedication to our consumers. We are constantly searching for ways to innovate and advance our products to suit the large range of needs of our consumers – and we strive to anticipate their needs ahead of these users telling us what they need.
At Canon, our technologies and core competencies set us apart from other brands. Our strength lies in having an all-rounded, comprehensive suite of devices from input to output. As a leading imaging company, Canon continues to strive to energise the photography and videography industries, with lenses and camera products offering ranging from digital compact, mirrorless, DSLR as well as professional broadcast and cinema camera to cater to different users’ needs. When it comes to output, our products present different printing technologies from inkjet to toner base, and our imaging implementation ranges from consumer pocket printers to industrial commercial print behemoths. Over time, Canon has offered a wide range of printers within each series to cater to consumers and businesses, allowing all our customers to have the power of choice.
How much of technology advancement has played a part in art-making processes?
Technology and art definitely work hand-in-hand. We’re constantly looking at different ways our users have engaged in our products for creative purposes – be it professionally or in their own homes.
Our cameras have evolved over the years to serve the functions of photography and movie-making better. We have made enhancements in still photography through expanding technological boundaries in a variety of ways such as high ISO and quick accurate DAF – making our users’ expansion of their creativity possible and limitless. Our new cameras also expand into the dynamic world of video and film-making, both of which are different art forms that involve mixed media such as projection and 3D mapping usage.
We have introduced multiple new features to various printer line-ups, allowing users to creatively and freely express themselves at home and at work, whilst making technology more accessible to our users through various means, such as allowing users to connect our new printers to personal devices like their phones, making printing convenient and possible through a variety of avenues. Our printers also present a different set of creative options for our users, including print-making and crafting.
With an array of artistic options presented for our users, we believe that anyone can achieve their creative goals with a little help from innovative technology.
Do you think it is crucial to integrate technological devices into our home and work life today? If so, what are some design considerations taken to change them up aesthetically and functionally to fit into a modern setting?
We believe it is crucial to integrate technological devices into our home and work life, with design playing a major part in delivering comfort, durability and ease-of-use for our users.
At Canon, aesthetics and functionality are carefully thought out and an integral consideration for our designs, especially in the ergonomics of our cameras and ease of usage for users – when it works, the camera should fit like a glove, be an extension of the user, as such. An example of this design consideration is grip for our cameras, ensuring our users can easily travel with ease through different terrains with the camera to take stunning images. Our cameras are also designed to be compact and lightweight while still delivering on the top-of-the-line functions professional photographers demand.
There is also much thought given to the design and look of our printers, such as a small, compact footprint for home users. Our latest PIXMA range also features a smart LED Status Bar that stylishly adorns the front lip of the operation panel, and intuitively conveys a range of information to the user, such as when the printer is low on ink, or when there is a printer jam. We are continuously working towards refining our designs as the needs of consumers evolve and will keep looking for new ways of innovation through design.
Two new colours are introduced to the printers, specifically Millennial Pink and Brilliant Green. How did the colour choices come about, and do you think the colour scheme of the printers make a difference to consumers?
The PIXMA range of printers was designed for home users to expound on their creativity and inspire them to test their limits when it comes to their own imagination. Along with the printers, there are options of consumables such as magnetic media, nail sticker media, iron on transfer media and double-sided matte papers for users to experiment with.
The modern hues of Millennial Pink and Brilliant Green were chosen to inspire home creativity and embody the printers as creative hubs, giving a colourful alternative to the usual black and white coloured printers and allowing users to customise their homes as they wish. This way, users are given the power of choice, delivering on our brand promise of “Delighting You Always”.
Lastly, what sort of future does Canon envision for creatives and artists living in Singapore?
Canon is guided by its corporate philosophy of Kyosei that focuses on “living and working together for the common good”.
We therefore envision a positive and productive ecosystem for creatives and artists in Singapore, and hope to empower these individuals in their creative goals by producing innovative imaging solutions and products that help them expand and push their own boundaries.