ADC Awards
ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world, with an incredible legacy of over 100 years. These awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design – all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Branding / Rebranding
Annual ID
ADC105_BCD010S
Background
Sigma is a Japanese manufacturer of high-end photographic equipment, founded in the early 1960s. Built on independence, craftsmanship, and engineering excellence, the brand operates in a highly competitive global market. Sigma faced the challenge of clarifying its brand presence while remaining true to its origins.
The new visual identity express Sigma’s Japanese heritage, craftsmanship and technical precision in balance. As a holistic brand collaboration, the work includes brand strategy, visual identity, custom typography, photography, illustration, product branding, packaging, website, spatial experience, launch campaigns, art collaborations, demo films, stationery and other collaterals. Sigma proves that they are bigger than branding.
The new visual identity express Sigma’s Japanese heritage, craftsmanship and technical precision in balance. As a holistic brand collaboration, the work includes brand strategy, visual identity, custom typography, photography, illustration, product branding, packaging, website, spatial experience, launch campaigns, art collaborations, demo films, stationery and other collaterals. Sigma proves that they are bigger than branding.
Creative Idea
The creative idea behind Sigma’s reimagined brand identity was to express the company’s long-term vision and obsession with quality through a system rooted in depth. A new logotype and symbol, including the Greek sigma symbol reintroduced as a precise and meaningful brand signifier. Custom typography, serif and sans-serif typefaces, creating a cohesive typographic voice.
Sigma’s identity system was developed from the inside out, drawing on its Japanese heritage, technical expertise, and independent spirit. The result is a unified visual language that communicates trust, continuity, and innovation across all brand touchpoints.
Sigma’s identity system was developed from the inside out, drawing on its Japanese heritage, technical expertise, and independent spirit. The result is a unified visual language that communicates trust, continuity, and innovation across all brand touchpoints.
Insights & Strategy
The strategic foundation of the project was built on Sigma with long-term perspectives. Prioritizing quality, craft, and innovation, creating an identity that feels timeless, purposeful, and trustworthy. The brand expression, reflecting Sigma’s unique “Made in Aizu” philosophy, where manufacturing, design, and innovation coexist under one roof. Sigma operates globally across many touchpoints, products, packaging, digital platforms, spatial environments, and campaigns. The new identity system was designed to function holistically across the entire organisation.
Execution
The execution of Sigma’s new brand identity is defined by precision, restraint, and craftsmanship and values that reflect the company’s engineering-driven culture. Every element of the system was carefully designed and implemented with long-term use in mind, ensuring clarity, consistency, and durability across Sigma’s global organisation. The identity was developed and rolled out holistically, creating a coherent brand experience spanning products, packaging, digital platforms, spatial environments, and communication.
Two typefaces, a serif and a sans serif, maintaining a consistent visual logic. The updated Sigma symbol was designed as a discreet yet confident mark of quality.The execution reinforces Sigma’s position as a brand built from the inside out, where technology, cultural heritage, and long-term thinking are seamlessly aligned.
Sigma Serif is a semi-serif typeface based on the same letterform geometry as the Sigma Sans, giving the serif typeface an engineered character at the foundation. The character of the serifs is inspired by Japanese lettering, translated for the latin alphabet. Sigma Serif is the perfect mix of a sans-serif and a serif, expressing both heritage and technical sharpness.
Two typefaces, a serif and a sans serif, maintaining a consistent visual logic. The updated Sigma symbol was designed as a discreet yet confident mark of quality.The execution reinforces Sigma’s position as a brand built from the inside out, where technology, cultural heritage, and long-term thinking are seamlessly aligned.
Sigma Serif is a semi-serif typeface based on the same letterform geometry as the Sigma Sans, giving the serif typeface an engineered character at the foundation. The character of the serifs is inspired by Japanese lettering, translated for the latin alphabet. Sigma Serif is the perfect mix of a sans-serif and a serif, expressing both heritage and technical sharpness.
Results
Sigma’s new brand identity made a strong impact from day one, resonating with both loyal customers and new audiences. It stands out through its fusion of modern minimalism and deep Japanese craftsmanship, a rare combination in the imaging industry. By connecting precision engineering with artistic culture, the identity expresses Sigma’s unique “Made in Aizu” philosophy and reinforces its position as a brand where technology, creativity, and authenticity meet.
2026 Awards
Total Points: 21
Silver Cube
Credits
Design Firm
Stockholm Design Lab / Stockholm
Client / Brand
Sigma Corporation
Creative Director
Sakari Paananen
Design Director
Magnus Engström
Executive Creative Director
Björn Kusoffsky
Junior Designer
Lukas Skarbäck
Senior Designer
Per Carlsson
Account Manager
Sara Vilkko
Campaign Photography
Emil Larsson
CEO and project owner, Sigma
Kazuto Yamaki
Digital Designer
István Vasil
Digital Director
Greg Brown
Fair design, CP+
Elding Oscarson
Film Photographer, Sigma
Yu Yamanaka
Film Production
Parapix
Illustration
nerunodaisuki
Product design, Iwasaki Design Studio
Ichiro Iwasaki
Yuta Watanabe
Product Imagery
Hiroshi Iwasaki
Project Leader, Sigma
Hanna Morita
Strategic Client Director
Albin Kallstenius
Typographer, Letters from Sweden
Göran Söderström
Visual Identity Project Team, Sigma
Ayumi Maeda
Fredrik Fagerstedt
Saki Crowne
Shinji Yamaki
Shoji Kanazawa
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