Yamaha's Ah A May Project -- in case you didn't notice, 'Ah A May' spells 'Yamaha' backwards -- is a brilliantly peculiar initiative that involves Yamaha's musical instrument designers to design motorcycles and vice-versa. The results are pretty astounding, and speak to the value of getting designers to think outside their box.
The motorbike designers came up with two instruments named Fujin and Raijin respectively. The Fujin is a tubular marimba that two performers sit inside, much like a motorcycle. The Raijin is a spectacular cage-like drumkit whose elements are laid out in front of, besides, above and below the performer.
Meanwhile, the musical instrument designers came up with two two-wheelers dubbed the Root and the 0 plus minus 0. The Root is inspired by the lines of a horse, and boasts a continuous wood-and-leather platform as well as a dial-free setup. The 0 plus minus 0 is an electric bike that fuses a skinny tubed frame with a crankset-mounted motor.
The Ah A May Project served to be a brilliant way to get designers to explore and embrace different kinds of design language without having to be burdened by requirements such as practicality.
Cross-Pollinated Designs
The Ah A May Project Involved Music Designers Crafting Bikes & Vice-Versa
Trend Themes
1. Cross-pollinated Designs - Opportunity to merge design principles from different industries and create innovative, hybrid products.
2. Designers Thinking Outside the Box - Encouraging designers to break free from industry conventions and explore unconventional design solutions.
3. Exploring Different Design Languages - Promoting collaboration between designers from different fields to develop unique and diverse design languages.
Industry Implications
1. Music and Instrument Design - Opportunity for instrument designers to incorporate elements from other industries, such as automotive, to create innovative musical instruments.
2. Motorcycle Design - Integration of design principles from unrelated industries to create motorcycles with unique features and aesthetics.
3. Electric Bike Manufacturing - Opportunity to incorporate unconventional design elements from various disciplines to create electric bikes with distinctive characteristics.