INAX

INAX is a Japanese manufacturer of sanitaryware and bathroom fittings that can look back on a long tradition. The company’s origins go back to 1915 when architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design a new building for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. As the terracotta tiles for the walls required special firing techniques, a dedicated factory was established back then in Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture. Hatsunojo Ina and his son Chozaburo Ina were invited to become technical advisors for this project. Upon the completion of the hotel, they took on the workers and the equipment of that factory, creating Ina Seito Co., Ltd. in 1924, which later became INAX Corporation. INAX has made a name for itself over the years by developing innovations such as the first made-in-Japan shower toilet with hot water and an air dryer function in 1967 and later with automatic and contactless fittings. In 2019, INAX presented its new brand identity at the Milan Design Week. At the heart of the new brand identity is the “INAX Blue” brand colour that is used in different gradients depending on the medium and which creates a consistent brand experience across all media from advertising and packaging to communication media such as catalogues, trade fair and showroom designs, as well as the products themselves. While the colour is used offensively in communication design to ensure concision and a high level of visibility for the brand, its use on products is kept very subtle. For example, if operating parts such as buttons and levers are operated on the products, they appear in the INAX brand colour, which makes the status and operation of the product intuitive to understand for users. However, the colour remains invisible when the product is not in use, preventing it from interfering with the bathroom environment. In addition to the colour details and in order to create a signature look, INAX uses easy-to-recognise design elements such as the so-called “squoval” shapes. Defined as a hybrid that is part square and part oval, this shape incorporates strictly geometric and organic elements and thus epitomises the connection between people and architecture, a connection that INAX aims to strengthen and harmoniously enhance with the design of its products.