For the train car design, we prioritized elegance in addition to safety. We created the color “Yokohama Navy Blue” which represents the seaside city containing the Sotetsu Line, and exclusively used this color for the train cars. This generated huge public interest, since Japanese trains are normally multicolored.

The interiors feature a warm gray palette, with easy-to-grab handles and Scotland-made leather box seats. The lighting changes from cool in the daytime to a relaxing, warm hue in the evenings.

Our poster neatly captures the quality of the new train cars through its dynamic use of lighting and composition.

The redesigned stations combine gray coloring and brickwork to produce a “design that matures with time.”

To prevent people leaving one seat between themselves and others on station benches, we increased the width of each individual seat.

We installed a 90 meter-long advertising space along the tracks to facilitate brand message promotion.

We gave the car bodies a special coating which contains reflective mica flakes and obscures stains, making the trains highly visible even at night.

The interior fixtures, including the handles, seats and lighting, were also redesigned after thorough scrutiny.

For the poster, we shot an image of a 200m train stationed within the rail yard. 20 lights were used, and great care was taken with the window reflections, appropriate camera distance, location scouting, and image angle.

By including scarce design elements in the poster, save for the company logo and design award winner mark, the redesigned train cars are emphasized as the centerpiece.

We also worked on diverse items ranging from Sotetsu’s stations down to their staff uniform buttons.

We gave the stations a gray color scheme, since this requires minimal upkeep and masks dirt and litter - unlike Japan’s many brightly-colored stations. This design will only mature with time.

Since the official announcement, Sotetsu’s redesigned train cars have created a buzz in the media and on social networking platforms. This project has succeeded in raising the value of the Sotetsu Line; and its new stations, advertisements and uniforms have received high praise not only from the rail industry and media, but also from the passengers themselves. Our work has been featured by almost 60 television channels and newspapers, and has become a talking point among railway enthusiasts and other passengers who are excited to see Sotetsu’s new train cars. We will continue in our efforts to renew Sotetsu’s brand image, and establish their railway line as an ideal location for people to visit, live, and work.