The color “red” evokes fond memories of the importance
of color to vehicles. Although color is a bridging mechanism that can be
applied to any product – there are no rules or limitations, except those that,
we as designers, impose. The color spectrum
is full and very expressive in all forms of life from plants and animals to the
formations of our planet and stars. Red
as a color is intense and energetic, like a flame or solar flare from the
sun. Red is also well represented as one
of the four elements: earth, air, FIRE, and water.
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| “Radiant Red” Solar flares were first observed on the sun in 1859. |
My memory of red goes back to when I was ten
and observed my older cousin explaining to our three-year-old relative, holding
Hot Wheels cars, that the blue car was faster than the yellow car and the red
car was faster than the blue car. Our
three-year-old relative did not understand vehicle segments or brands, to him
they were only variants of color palettes.
He interpreted that it was the color of the vehicle that made one model
faster versus another. Being so young,
he didn’t understand that it wasn’t the color, but the type of vehicle that
determined the relative speed of one car versus another. Perhaps that also explains that beyond the
vehicle brand, it is color that subconsciously impacts our purchasing decisions
at a dealership and hence the career of a Color and Material Designer is born. This was very evident in the early years of
the automotive industry, as it is well illustrated in the Axalta Global
Automotive Color Popularity Report.
As the Director of Lawrence Technological University’s
Transportation Design and Industrial Design programs, I requested examples of
designs that were inspired by the color red from future designers. The three examples below are from the
following talented students:
Matt Scarchilli draws inspiration from
fashion to the design of an automotive interior. The design is beyond
aesthetics, as it impacts the user experience in the concept.
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| Illustrated by: Matt Scarchilli |
Peter Corey’s passion for motorcycle is
illustrated from his inspiration of a red Cardinal.
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| Illustrated by: Peter Corey |
The final image is from Tyler Rusnak, and he
notes that the color red is an “expression of agility” in his design. I would
like to circle back to the first sentence and the personal story of red, as we
can only conclude this topic with an image of a red sports car – it’s simply
radiant!
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| Illustrated by: Tyler Rusnak |
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| Keith Nagara Director, Transportation Design Program Lawrence Technical University |
