Tracing the trends (E-journal 1/2010)

An interview with BASF color designer Eva Höfli

What trends are up ahead? Color designers produce collages of image material for color development.

Ms. Höfli, as a color designer for an automotive paint manufacturer, why do you attend fashion shows?

When we develop a collection, we always start by looking for the trends of the future. We ask ourselves what new colors and styles are up-and-coming? Sometimes we find the answer to these questions at textile trade shows, but we find them other places as well. Furniture and design trade shows are also a good source, as well as newspapers that deal with a wide variety of subjects.

What do you do then with your findings?

We gather image material into collages which we take to our color developers, who turn our ideas into paints. We designers examine the painted sample panels. If the color does not fully meet our expectations it goes back into development, where other effect pigments may be mixed in for example. At the end of this phase, our trend collection is ready to be presented to carmakers in Europe.

How long does it take for a trend color from your collection to appear on a car rolling off the line?

Once a carmaker has decided on a color from the trend collection, it takes a least two or three more years before it will be used in line production. The paint has to be adapted to customer requirements and undergo extensive testing to document its properties. It must withstand any weather conditions as well as other challenges, such as resistance to chemicals and natural/biological agents, like bird droppings. Only when a paint has passed these tests is it cleared for use on line-produced vehicle bodies.

Are there different color trends for women and men?

There definitely are. When buying a car, women are more interested in safety and looks, which includes a greater interest in color. Men are more focused on technology and engine power. The increasing buying power of women drivers in recent years and the fact that cars are no longer seen as a male domain have had a great effect on color trends. While black and silver used to dominate, now the trend is to warmer, pastel-like, almost ‘feminine’ colors. Even pink, which used to be a ‘no-go’ for cars, can now be seen on a few smaller cars around town.

Are color trends transferable to other regions?

As a rule, every region has its own color trends, because it has its own culture. Nevertheless, there may be some areas that overlap. We are seeing similarities for example in Europe and Asia. White has long been trendy in Asian countries like Japan, and started becoming more popular in Europe about a year ago. Black is also popular in Asia – as it is in Europe. One mustn‘t forget that even within Europe, preferences aren‘t the same. People in the southern countries such as Spain like bright colors more than Northern Europeans.