 How important is the colour when someone buys a car? And how do new colour trends come about? Claudio Brivitello, stylist at Mercedes-Benz, reports from the field.
As a colour designer, I know that colour is a very important factor when a car is purchased. The customer identifies with the colour of the car that he owns for several years. And a short-lived colour trend may result in a significant loss of value when the vehicle is sold after several years. We have to take such facts into account in our work. The challenge is that the lead time for a new production-line colour is about three years – so we have to anticipate trends quite some time in advance.
I’m constantly looking for new colour ideas. I get my inspiration from various fields – for instance, from fashion, lifestyle, architecture, the world of consumer goods and of course from the brand’s own history. Environmental thinking will also play a growing role in the choice of colours in the coming years.
White in various forms, be it solid colour or pearlescent, is currently en vogue. But in the next few years I can imagine the return of colour. Light blends of silver or grey with colours like blue and green will be increasingly seen. Still pie in the sky at the moment, but nevertheless important, are new developments equipping the surface of a vehicle with additional functions. I’m convinced that it will be possible to integrate into a paint film many more properties that will be of creative interest for us in the long term.
The Standox Calendar “Color Codes 2009” shows exquisite vehicles clad in beautiful colours. The paintwork of the cars is just as exceptional as the locations in which they are artistically set.
|
