Ouch. Today was the first Press Day so expectations were high. And did they hit the mark? ……Welcome, to the MORGUE.
Okay, maybe a morgue is a bit extreme, but there were some serious things missing. Namely, NISSAN. And with the Leaf coming soon, you have to ask… “WUT UP, NISSAN DOODS?” Now, I did get my fair share of automotive fixations, but I was left a little… dead. Ok, another mortality reference. Wups.
Below, are the COMPLETE highlights of the show. Not many, but some cool stuff. I decided to make it easy for y’all to understand how I felt about each one. I call it the “SHOCKSWEETSNORESUCK.” That’s the long version. Let’s just call it the “SHNUCK.” The LA Shnuck Show. Yea, I like it….
And here we go Shnucksters!!!
Ima car, youra car, wouldn’t cha like to be a car tooooooo……
Black is associated with power, elegance, formality and mystery.
Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It denotes strength and authority and is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes).
Black gives the feeling of perspective and depth, but a black background diminishes readability. A black suit or dress can make you look thinner. When designing for a gallery of art or photography, you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors stand out. Black contrasts well with bright colors. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme. Black with White suggests you’ve been pulled over. Bummer…
As there are millions of colors on the color wheel, Silver represents not only tone, but depth.
Silver is the color of elegance. Although many think gold has this label, silver really embodies a depth and truth beyond gold. It does not transcend into the mode of ego as does gold, but it creates a sense of cool, calm and collective color. Really a tone of black and white (Cool Gray), Silver is used on virtually every vehicle to represent quality and elegance.
Silver in products can mean the same. Form is easiest read by being designed in silver. Most concept cars and basic models come in Silver. One of the oldest colors since cars were built.
Silver is also a color of strength, as in steel, iron and all metals. A binding color. White gold is actually more popular than regualr gold due to it’s “binding” theory of relationship. And,… it looks cool on my Titanium Imac, duh.
White is associated with light, goodness, innocence and purity. None of which embody high horsepower, but it is considered to be the color of perfection. Although technically, white is “the absence of color.”
White also means safety and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. It also represents a successful beginning.
In advertising, white is associated with coolness and cleanliness because it’s the color of snow. You can use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. It’s an appropriate color for charitable organizations; angels are usually imagined wearing white clothes. (Although probably with red underwear!) White is associated with hospitals, doctors, and sterility, so you can use white to suggest safety when promoting medical products. White is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy products. You know, like the inside of a twinkie.
Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety, like smacking your car into a tree. Another things that is green. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Cool.
Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience; for example, a ‘greenhorn’ is a novice or dood that is clueless. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage in road traffic. As in, HIT IT!
Use green to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to promote ‘green’ products. Like, at the show, duh. As I said, darker green is commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street. Oh, …and grapes.
Yellow is the color of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy…. and bananas.
Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food like twinkies! Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning.
Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. You can choose yellow to promote children’s products and items related to leisure. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Doods usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, ‘childish’ color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men – no dood will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using it if you want to suggest stability and safety. Light yellow tends to disappear into white, so it usually needs a dark color to highlight it. Shades of yellow are visually unappealing because they loose cheerfulness and become dingy. Oh, and have you read the bok “Yellow River,” by I.P. Freely?
Color. Why do people like BLUE for thier cars? Blue means depth and stability. Calmness surrounding the sky and sea. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. It’s strongly associated with tranquility .
You can use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness (water purification filters, cleaning liquids, vodka), air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners), water and sea (sea voyages, mineral water). As opposed to emotionally warm colors like red, orange, and yellow; blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. Use blue to suggest precision when promoting high-tech products.
Blue is a masculine color; according to studies, it is highly accepted among males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for corporate America. Suit doods and cool cars.
What kind of image makes you stop and gasp? A relaxed sort of exhaltation, I suppose.
The LA Auto Show starts this Friday and the anticipation is high for things of beauty. Sometimes I just stop and soak up new form, almost not realizing I’m doing it. And what comes from that moment lost?
…Inspiration.
That’s why I like car shows. Like a surfer trying to find the perfect wave, always on the search, knowing it’s there but not always finding it. That’s what we Automotive Enthusiasts search for, right? The one car that just makes us all weak in the knees. Could be a badass Bentley, an out of control Muscle Car, a modded MINI or anything in between.
I’ll be at the show, hopefully all wobbly in the knees after seeing forms like the above. So worth it. Looking forward to seeing all of you.
