Brilliant Blue Cars under a Brilliant Blue Sky

By Dan Benton, Axalta Color Marketing Manager

September 18, 2016 was truly a brilliant day at the 21^st annual Hagley Car Show. More than 500 exhibitors from all around the Mid-Atlantic region brought their pride and joy to display for the thousands who came to experience the wonders of more than 100 years of automotive innovation.

As I walked among the enthusiasts, I couldn’t help but overhear the many conversations about beloved cars from the past, and the colors that adorned those rides.

“Oh that’s the same blue I had on my ’68 Tempest,” and “my boyfriend used to pick me up in his ’67 Corvette – just like that one.” Car owners proudly discussed the authentic colors on their vehicles. “That is the exact shade of Nassau Blue that was offered on the original ’56 Chevy.” “Hey that’s the original Shelby Guardsman Blue on that Cobra replica.”

The color blue was everywhere at the car show, including on this 1937 Ford sedan. 

Nostalgia was everywhere, and the smiles could not be contained. As music, and radio advertisements from the 1950’s played over the speakers, many were taken back to a simpler time when your car said a lot about who you were – and what you loved.

Many conversations were about that “first car,” and the freedom that came with it. Folks reminisced about dates at drive-in theatres, and cruising with friends. “Look at that Plum Crazy ’70 Challenger. That was my high school buddy’s first car – we used to cruise Concord Pike in Wilmington, Delaware in one just like it!” They talked about cruising from one hot spot to the next – looking for friends who were also out for a drive. Cruising was more than just a social activity; it was an obsession for many, much like in the movie American Graffiti when high school seniors cruised the town before graduation. Axalta helped restore the classic Impala from the film and will debut it in November at our booth at SEMA, the largest aftermarket automotive tradeshow in the country. Most of the cars at the Hagley car show could have been in the film. 

Although you could see an array of car colors at the event, blue seemed to be the most popular. From original authentic blues to some new and creative uses of the hue – we saw blue everywhere. We even brought our own special blue with us – Axalta’s North American Automotive Color of the Year for 2016 – Brilliant Blue.

This 1973 MG MGB had a stunning shade of blue!

We displayed Brilliant Blue on mini hoods, color cards, and a special Pedal Car. Many attendees stopped by the Axalta booth to admire the super saturated color that shimmers in the sun. Brilliant Blue is a mid-shade blue that has both depth and vividness with slight turquoise highlights. It is made with Axalta’s Vermeera™ technology. This multi-layer process provides both an intense blue color and a unique sparkle effect.

An eye-catching color like Brilliant Blue is sure to be a classic, and I predict that one day it will be the talk of some future car show where someone will say, “Oh look – Brilliant Blue!  I painted my 2016 Mustang GT with that color.”

Dennis Whitaker’s 1965 Superformance Shelby Cobra replica 

In the spirit of Brilliant Blue, judges selected one vehicle owner to receive Axalta's Best in Blue Award. Congratulations to Dennis Whitaker of Pennsylvania! His 1965 Superformance Shelby Cobra replica took home the prize. To learn more, see the press release.

A Recipe for Brilliance

By Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Color Marketing Manager

We have had a fabulous time introducing Axalta’s North American Automotive Color of the 2016 – Brilliant Blue – to the world. From our kickoff at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, to talking about it with Jeff Gordon and students at the University of Michigan (Maize and Blue, Go Blue!) to discussing the shade’s hue and inspiration with OEM customers globally, Brilliant Blue is a hot topic.

Personally, I have talked to more media, more customers and more car color fanatics than I can count…and I hope it never stops! There is a common question that comes up in many of these discussions: why blue?

The answer is part art, part research, part history and all brilliant.

On the art side, the Axalta team selected this mid-shade blue that has both depth and vividness with slight turquoise highlights. It is made with Axalta’s high-chroma Vermeera® technology. This multi-layer process provides both an intense blue color and a unique sparkle effect. Pretty smart, right? We wanted a formula that would catch your eye, and I would argue we got it right.

Axalta’s annual Global Automotive Color Popularity Report provides a variety of research. The report is the most comprehensive of its kind. The 2015 edition, which was released last fall, showed some facts about blue that influenced our decision. For example, in North America, blue increased in popularity to a total of eight percent of sales due to the increased use of the color on compact/sport and intermediate/crossover utility vehicles. Meanwhile, in Europe, blue came in at nine percent with a lot of interest in mid-shade blues. Worldwide, blue remained steady over 2014, while other rich colors fell off a bit.

We also referred to Axalta’s first 60 years of color reporting in a report titled, Six Decades of Colorful Automotive Performance. The exhaustive research that comprised the report showed some historical good times for blue. From 1955 through 1958, the most popular hue in the U.S. was blue. Yes, you read it correctly.

The.

Most.

Popular.

It repeated the win in ’60 and ’61, in ’66 and 67, from ’76 through ’79, 81 through ’83, and finally 85 through ’88. (On the contrary, in ’96 and ’97 blue didn’t crack the top five while a shade of green took the top honors.) So blue does have a highlight reel and perhaps its rich history was simply ready for a comeback.

So, that’s our recipe: four cups art, two parts research and a full can of history get you Axalta’s North American Automotive Color of the Year 2016.

We will continue to enjoy Brilliant Blue throughout 2016, then, we’ll make way for a 2017 Color of the Year. And if history has anything to say about, I am willing to bet that blue will make a come back again.

P.S. Read my recent interview with Nationwide titled, What Does Your Car Color Say About You?, here- https://inthenation.nationwide.com/what-does-your-car-color-say-about-you/

EyesOn the Prize: EyesOn Design Named Top 20 Car Show by USA Today

By Nancy Lockhart, Axalta Coating Systems Color Marketing Manager

USA Today named EyesOn Design, “one of the 20 best car shows” in the United States.  And you can help determine its next accolade.  You have until July 18 to vote for the Readers’ Choice 10 Best.  You can show your support and vote for EyesOn Design today! 

Why should you vote for EyesOn Design, you ask?  Because every year Detroiters, automotive designers and car collectors admire specially-picked, invitation-only vehicles at the EyesOn Design automotive design exhibition.  This exciting event is for a great cause as it supports Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology’s efforts to raise funds and awareness for the visually impaired.  And if that is not enough, it is held at the famous Edsel & Eleanor Ford House located at Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.  Lake St. Clair and the House are a perfect backdrop for this event where the bright blue water and blue sky compliment the colorful vehicles. 

1955 Cadillac Eldorado

There was no shortage of blue rides at this year’s show, which should come as no surprise.  Blue has been the most popular automotive color in North America 19 times since Axalta’s inaugural Global Automotive Color Popularity Report in 1953.  The hue also made the top five favorite color 50 times.  The 2016 EyesOn Design exhibition showcased, perfectly, how blue has changed throughout the years on vehicles and highlighted the evolution of color trends.

1964 Chrysler 300K

1964 Cadillac Eldorado

1966 Shelby Mustang

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB

Edsel & Eleanor Ford House 

We, at Axalta, are proud to sponsor such a premier event that focuses on the detail and importance of automotive design and helps such a great cause.  Vote for EyesOn Design in the USA Today Readers’ Choice 10 Best today!

Photography by Stan Horvath

The Story behind the Brilliant Blue Moon

By Dan Benton, Axalta Coating Systems Color Marketing Manager

I always considered myself to be pretty observant, but I am surprised by what I notice sometimes, especially now that my profession has me entrenched in a world of rich color.  There are so many different tools that we use to view our brilliant paint colors…spectrophotometers, calibrated color inspection lights, our AccuAngle Color Protractor and good old-fashioned natural light—which can be stunning even in the evening when a path is lit by the light of the moon. 

I was going for a spin one evening with my wife and noticed how amazing the sky looked.  The moon sported a shade of Brilliant Blue reminiscent of Axalta’s North American Automotive Color of the Year 2016.  So, when my wife mentioned that I only take her out every “blue moon,” I recalled something that my grandmother used to say.  She was fond of that very term “once in a blue moon.” She used it whenever we asked if my grandpa ever washed the dishes.

Your childhood may have been like mine; often hearing phrases, but seldom questioning their meaning.  Now that I am an adult, and more inquisitive than ever, I decided to investigate the meaning behind that term and it’s more interesting and science-y than I thought.

First off, a blue moon is always a full moon.  Apparently, there are two different ways to figure out which full moon is a blue moon.  The original definition says a blue moon is the third full moon in an astronomical season with four full moons.  To geek out a bit, a normal year has four astronomical seasons just like our calendar year (spring, summer, fall, winter) each with three months and normally three full moons.  When one of the seasons has four full moons (not the normal three), the third full moon is called a blue moon.  Complicated, right?  

Another definition of blue moon is a twinge different.  Some months have two full moons.  Using this definition, the blue moon is the second of the two full moons in a month of the common calendar year. Either way you slice it, a blue moon appears about once every two or three years, give or take.

But, you may ask, what’s the deal with a moon that actually looks blue?  The moon, full or not, can have a Brilliant Blue appearance when the atmosphere is filled with dust or smoke particles of a certain size…just a little wider than 0.7 micron.  These particles scatter the red light making the moon appear blue in color.  The condition is most common after a dust storm, forest fire or a volcanic eruption.

Keep an eye on your calendars, because as you now know, a blue moon does occur somewhat regularly.  The last blue moon (following the third full moon in a season formula) was May 21, 2016.  The next one will appear on May 18, 2019.

I picked up a couple of other quick facts in my blue moon research:
• The moon is inspirational in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare.
• The song “Blue Moon” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934.  The most popular version was recorded by The Marcels in 1961, an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh.  Click here to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoi3TH59ZEs
• Neil Armstrong was the first man to land on the moon in 1969. 
• Blue Moon Investigations was the name of the detective agency in the TV series “Moonlighting” that starred a young Bruce Willis.
• The theme song for the television show, “The Sopranos” by Alabama 3 references “a blue Moon in your eyes.”

Well, that’s enough work for today.  I think I will relax now… someone just told me about the Hudsonville Creamery and Ice Cream Company’s Blue Moon flavor.  And cut.

A Snapshot of Me and Blue

By John Magor, Owner of John Magor Photography

Curiously, in many different languages blue was one of the last colors defined and given a name.  Universally, black and white came first, then red, and though the order may vary slightly after that, blue is usually the last.  Ancient Greeks did not have specific words for the color blue; in Homer’s Odyssey, he described the sea as “wine-dark”.  Even into the late 19th century, cultures across the globe were content to use “black” to describe green, violet, and blue.  However, as languages developed, so did the fascination with the color blue, in all its hues. 

As a photographer, I am captivated by the myriad of blue shades in the sky and water and am fortunate to have captured their beauty, both at home and overseas.

One of my favorite places to shoot is the Caribbean. It has an unparalleled variety of blues.  It has the rich blue-greens of the Caribbean Sea that serve as a backdrop to white sand beaches.  It has the deep royal blues of the night sky that act as a canvas for a million twinkling stars.  And it also has the bright blues that reveal themselves when the clouds dissipate and the sun warms up Esperanza Bay. 

You do not have to take a plane to see blue in all of its glory.  Here at home, one of my favorite pastimes is to ride my motorcycle out into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.  With my camera gear stowed in my pack, I am ready to pull to the side of the road at a moment’s notice when I see the possible makings of a photograph.  Two of the key ingredients are a crisp blue sky and interesting cloud formations.

The sense of calm, the peacefulness of a rich blue sky over bucolic scenery wipes away the stresses of our hustle-bustle 21st century existence, and connects me to the natural world in a way that rejuvenates my spirit.  The azure blue sky and its reflection in the waters of the Rappahannock River as it gently moves past Fredericksburg, Virginia do the same.

Blue is everywhere in the natural world, as it also is in automobile colors like Axalta’s Automotive Color of the Year 2016 – Brilliant Blue, and plays a big role in my photography.  It is hard to imagine the inability to call something blue.  Blue is not black, nor violet, nor green.  It is its own hue and adds an irreplaceable splendor to the world around us.

About John Magor

John Magor is an architectural and commercial photographer with nearly twenty years of experience.  After being involved in the construction and decorating industry for many years, he developed a passion for photography, specifically architectural and interior design photography.  John’s architectural work has been featured in local, regional and national publications, and can be seen on numerous clients’ websites from interior designer sites, to architectural, custom remodeling firms, builders, manufacturers, and more.

John also loves to photograph nature, whether it involves a two-week stint in a faraway place, or a two-hour trip into the Virginia countryside.

John resides in Stafford, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C.  He can be reached at his website www.johnmagor.com, and www.Facebook.com/JohnMagorPhotography.