After 15 years of pressing those same unique buttons…who knew? Who knew that those buttons we took for granted, would have intrinsic worth to the PlayStation brand? — Teiyu Goto knew.
Teiyu Goto, the designer responsible for the sleek look PlayStation is known for, provides us insight into one of the most unique design elements of the system — The X, O, Square and Triangle buttons that went on to define the brand.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Goto-san gives us details on what those iconic symbols mean. In discussing how the controller came to have the buttons we all know so well, Goto-san had this to say:
“Other game companies at the time assigned alphabet letters or colors to the buttons. We wanted something simple to remember, which is why we went with icons or symbols, and I came up with the triangle-circle-X-square combination immediately afterward. I gave each symbol a meaning and a color. The triangle refers to viewpoint; I had it represent one’s head or direction and made it green. Square refers to a piece of paper; I had it represent menus or documents and made it pink. The circle and X represent ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decision-making and I made them red and blue respectively. People thought those colors were mixed up, and I had to reinforce to management that that’s what I wanted”
Goto-san’s design went on to differentiate the console from everyone else — Even after all these years when you see those buttons, you think PlayStation. The impact of those design choices really made an impact on people. Goto-san went on to share an experience that is truly moving:
“I was at a PlayStation party in Los Angeles once, and a man came up and asked if I was the designer of the PlayStation. I said yes, and he said ‘I develop games for a software company, but we started supporting the PlayStation because of the system’s design.’ I was really moved by that — I thanked him and shook his hand as strongly as I could. That moment made me really glad to be involved with the design. Being able to launch a new brand and have people around the world use it can make a designer very, very happy”
It’s not everyday we get this type of insight into, not only the history of a console , but the passion that some individuals have for the work — Teiyu Goto could have spent the past 17 years of his life designing anything he chose — Thankfully, he chose the PlayStation
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