Client project
Midori House
Door tones, lift chimes and entry buttons for a 96-flat housing block in Setagaya. The white facade against a cobalt sky set the colour of every button.
- 37 prototypes built
- 12 door tones tested
- 4 lift chimes
Yuki TanakaSound + industrial design · Tokyo
Objects with a pulse. Sound and industrial design from Tokyo.
Yuki Tanaka designs everyday objects and the sounds they make, from kettles and door chimes to the click of a good switch.
Book a studio call
Prototypes in 2 to 6 weeks. First sketches in week one.
Selected work
Things that click, chime and sing.
Sound study
Bell Study
Bells and brake levers for a city bike. How loud a bell should ring, and how a lever should click in traffic.
Listen to the studyPersonal project
Found Rhythms
Small studies that start with shapes I walk past: a painted court, a stairwell, a long shadow. I sketch them first, then work out what they should sound like.
See the sketchesLab notes
How I work
Five steps. Every one you can hear.
Prototype in 2–6 weeks
First sketches in week one.
- 01
Listen
I spend time with the product and the people who use it, and record what it sounds like today.
- 02
Sketch
Paper sketches, sound sketches and rough foam models, so we can react to something real early on.
- 03
Prototype
Printed and machined parts with the sound built in from the start, not added at the end.
- 04
Test with people
We put prototypes in real rooms with real people and write down what they notice first.
- 05
Refine and hand off
CAD files, sound files and a clear spec your factory can build from without guessing.
Services
The object, and everything it sounds like.
Product sound
Alerts, chimes and mechanical sounds that still feel right the hundredth time you hear them.
Industrial design
Form, materials and small details for objects people want to leave out on the counter.
Sound branding
Short sound logos and interface sounds that stay recognisable on a tiny speaker.
- Sound logos
- Interface sounds
- CAD files
- Working prototypes
- Factory handoff
- Usage rights
FAQ
Questions people ask.
Do you work with teams outside Japan?
Yes. About half my clients are in Europe and the US. We meet by video and I ship prototypes to you.
How long does a project take?
Most projects reach a first prototype in two to six weeks. You’ll see sketches in the first week.
Can you do just the sound, or just the object?
Both. Some clients bring a finished product that needs a voice. Others start from a blank page.
Who owns the final design?
You do, once the project is paid. I’d like to show it in my portfolio, but only if you’re happy with that.
What happens on a studio call?
Thirty minutes on the product, the timeline and the budget. No slides needed, just bring the thing if you have it.
About
Hi, I’m Yuki.
I studied industrial design in Osaka and spent six years at a consumer electronics company before opening my own studio in Tokyo.
I care about the small things: the weight of a lid, the click of a switch, the note a kettle sings. My studio is a workbench, a 3D printer and far too many microphones.
- Based inTokyo, Japan
- LanguagesJapanese, English
- FocusProduct sound and objects
Contact
Got something that should sound better?
Let’s tune it.
Tell me about the product and your timeline. I’ll reply within two working days.
- Emailyuki.tanaka@example.com
- Phone+81 3 0142 7788
- Instagram@yuki.tanaka.studio (opens in a new tab)