May 20, 2016

How Does Ford Come Up with Vehicle Colors?


Whether you prefer striking blue, calm grey, fiery red, or classic black, you can find the perfect color for your car with Ford. With nearly 60 different Ford-crafted colors and more than 20 Ford nameplates in Asia Pacific, Ford has a color for everyone.

Ford color designers create colors of varying hues, shades, and tones to ensure that customers can find the perfect color for their car.

“There are many factors that dictate what color a person chooses for their car and what emotions colors make them feel,” said Sofia Myrodellis, Color and Materials Design, Ford Australia, whose job entails selecting fabrics and creating colors for Ford vehicles.

“People tend to gravitate to certain colors because of their personality, profession and even their culture and surroundings,” she said. “For instance, I personally prefer cars in more classic and always-on-trend colors like black and white, and we’ve found that the Australian market, compared to markets in other countries, is more open to brighter and bolder colors for their cars.”

Ford’s color spectrum goes beyond these traditional colors of the rainbow to capture an even broader range of emotions: From Diamond White to Cool White, Celestial Blue to Aurora Blue, Competition Orange to Tiger Eye, and even Ginger Ale and Archon Bronze, there’s a color for every consumer at Ford.

Myrodellis explains that all of the colors she and her colleagues create come directly from the inspirations they gather from months of research. These inspirations could be designs they see at furniture fairs or global trend shows, or even things they stumble across on their own travels.

“We use all the information that we gather from these shows, futuring websites, fashion trends, natural evolution of current vehicle colors, and consumers’ and our own personal adventures to forecast what colors consumers will like years down the road,” she said. “We aren’t asked to create a certain number of colors, but rather we implement colors that will suit our vehicle lineup and customers up to four years in advance.”

Once a color is created, designers turn their creative attentions to naming it.

Many elements go into choosing a name, including the actual color and the feeling it may evoke, and what vehicle it will be used on. Jeffrey Liu, manager, Color and Materials Design, Ford Asia Pacific explained the creation story behind Pride Orange, the hero color for the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, which was developed by the Asia Pacific design team:

“Pride Orange is a powerful and vibrant orange that is inspired by the rich and rugged aesthetics of the African savanna. The word ‘Pride’ itself is derived from the visual impact of a pride of lions – proud, strong and impressive. This is exactly what the customer should feel when driving the Ranger Wildtrak.”

Archon Bronze, hero color for the Ford Escort sold in China, is another creatively named color that was developed specifically for Asia Pacific by the regional design team.

“Archon is a word that was used to refer to one of the nine chief magistrates in ancient Athens – a strong and powerful ruler. And the bronze color resonates with the gladiator armor and shield material used during that era,” explained Emily Lai, manager, Color and Materials Design, Ford Asia Pacific. “Therefore, this color has a warm and dark tone with a sparkling bronze highlight that glows and shimmers in the sunlight, giving it a luxurious yet sophisticated and powerful appearance.”

Cars are so much more than just a mode of transportation; they are personal statements, and an extension of a driver’s style, values and interests. When purchasing a car, drivers look for something that moves them, and something they have an emotional connection with. With 20 vehicles and 60 colors to choose from across Asia Pacific, consumers are sure to find their own inspiration in a Ford showroom.

4 comments:

  1. I wonder how does Ford come up with a better vehicle after-sales service...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Duh.. Tagalugin mo nalang, compliment ba yan or complain?

      Delete
    2. baka foreigner yan! dobol mining yan di ka kasi marunong umintindi ng inglis!

      Delete
  2. Still sucks because the ford focus hatchback still isn't being offered in gray. WTF Ford?

    ReplyDelete

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