A visit to Marseille revealed how Mazda is drawing inspiration from age-old painting and dyeing techniques
Mazda has tethered itself closely to the idea of craftsmanship as a brand differentiator. This of course extends to various elements of the vehicle, but perhaps nowhere greater than within the CMF team.
Working closely with the clay modellers, exterior design specialists and pretty much anyone else involved in the design of a vehicle, the fairly compact CMF team at Mazda’s Frankfurt design studio is constantly exploring new ways of colouring, constructing and finishing.
This goes some way to explaining why, this week, we found ourselves on a remote hillside in the south of France investigating the origins of ‘ochre’, a bright orange soil once considered one of the most valuable and versatile pigments available.
Hacked away from the ochre mountains near Roussillon, stored and then processed over the course of a year, the material was once an exceptionally labour-intensive process. After mining it is washed with water to separate the sand and ochre, leaving the pigment behind.
“This is one of the oldest crafts on earth,” noted…
This content is available to subscribers only | Sign in
Unlock exclusive design knowledge, inspiration & connection.
Knowledge
Inspiration
Billed as $194 annually
Other currencies: £149 / €179 annually
Available to new subscribers only
Knowledge
Inspiration
Connection
Billed as $259 annually
Other currencies: £199 / €239 annually
Knowledge
Inspiration
Connection
Billed as $389 annually
Other currencies: £299 / €359 annually
Explore more subscription options.
For help with individual user subscriptions please contact:
Eric Ng
Eric.Ng@ultimamedia.com
For help with multi user subscriptions please contact:
Angela Yang
Angela.Yang@cardesignnews.com
The designer has received his second promotion in as many years
Autonomous vehicles need not be as cold and uninviting as we might first think, providing the focus lands on humanisation and smooth UX design
Car Design News goes inside Ford’s human-centered design studio to understand how the brand is researching what people want, use and ultimately need
