At Mazda, colour is not just a visual detail—it is an emotional journey that captures the essence of movement, tradition, and innovation.
Colours surround us daily, so omnipresent that we seldom pause to appreciate their impact, yet they transform everything. A world devoid of colour would be vastly different—dull, lifeless, and lacking the vibrancy that makes life so captivating. Colour shapes our emotions, influences our perceptions, and brings a unique character to the world. From the calming blues of the ocean to the fiery reds of a sunset, colours are an integral part of our daily experiences, enriching our lives in countless ways.
At Mazda, colour is more than just an aesthetic choice; it is a vital component of the brand’s identity. Senior Colour & Material Designer Alena Gersonde explains, “We can strengthen the emotional bond to a product with colours.” This philosophy underpins Mazda’s approach to colour design, where each hue is meticulously crafted to forge a deep connection with drivers, transforming their vehicles into cherished companions.
Mazda has always had a strong connection to colour, most notably embodied in its signature colour Soul Red Crystal , a colour that has become synonymous with Mazda’s passion for dynamic design. Introduced in 2017, Soul Red Crystal was developed to complement Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy, which seeks to capture the beauty of motion. Achieving this required a highly sophisticated painting process, where each layer of paint plays a critical role in creating a deep, vibrant finish. But beyond red, the development of every shade follows a deep and thoughtful process, connecting tradition with innovation to create colours that tell a story.
Inspiration from Tradition
The journey from initial inspiration to the final colour on a car is a meticulous process for the European Colour & Material Designers at Mazda. It begins with mood boards—collages of images and materials that evoke a particular atmosphere or colour palette. These boards help the team crystallise their vision, extracting colours from various sources to understand how different shades interact.
The designers are continually on the hunt for new, innovative colours. They have been exploring various shades of blue through traditional methods, hoping to gather inspiration that could one day be featured on a Mazda vehicle. As part of this exploration, they studied Aizome, the traditional Japanese craft of indigo dyeing. Aizome is an ancient technique that involves dyeing fabric with natural indigo, creating deep, rich blue hues. This practice is more than just a method of colouring fabric; it is a ritual that celebrates the heritage of craftsmanship, resonating deeply with Mazda’s design language.
The colour development team embarked on a journey to rediscover this rich tradition. Immersing themselves in the Aizome process, they hand-dyed textiles, experimenting with different techniques to create a spectrum of blue hues. The experience was transformative, reconnecting the team with the tactile, hands-on nature of craftsmanship that modern technology often distances us from. “In this day and age, it’s easy to lose touch with the manual production of objects,” Alena reflects, “but the colours and materials we develop are real; they will surround the drivers and passengers in our cars. This is why working with real materials strengthens the design process.” This isn’t the first time Mazda has drawn inspiration from traditional Japanese techniques.
Building on this experience, the colour development team then transitioned from textiles to testing these blue colours on parts of vehicle surfaces, further developing their application for cars. While not yet applied to a complete vehicle, these hues were carefully studied using Mazda’s innovative three-layer painting process, called Takuminuri, to observe how the colour behaves on a car’s surface and to ensure it achieves the desired glowing effect from within.
The indigo blue that emerged from this process is more than just a colour—it’s a narrative. It’s a shade that tells the story of tradition meeting innovation, of craftsmanship blending seamlessly with modern design. While this blue is still in the experimental phase, it holds the promise of becoming a colour that tells a rich, emotional story, capturing light in a way that gives the car a sense of motion and vitality even when stationary—a characteristic that embodies Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy.
The Role of Inspiration
While tradition and innovation play significant roles in Mazda’s colour development, the team also looks outward for inspiration, constantly seeking new experiences and influences. Travel is a crucial part of the creative process. During Milan Design Week 2024, Mazda designers immersed themselves in a world of inspiring materials, textures, and trends. These firsthand experiences are essential in keeping Mazda’s designs fresh and relevant, blending global influences with the brand’s Japanese roots.
The latest outcome of these explorations of design trends is “Melting Copper.” The process of creating Melting Copper involved blending fine-grained metallics with a small amount of black pigment to achieve the perfect balance of lustre and depth. Inspired by the timeless allure of molten metal, this new colour is being debuted with the Mazda CX-80, an SUV that embodies both toughness and grace.
For Mazda, colour is far more than just a visual aspect of car design—it is an emotional language that speaks to the heart of both the brand and its customers. By drawing on the deep well of Japanese craftsmanship, exploring global design trends, and engaging in hands-on experimentation, Mazda’s designers create colours that are not only beautiful but also deeply meaningful. Just as Soul Red Crystal embodies Mazda’s boldness and passion, each hue tells a story, enhancing the driving experience and creating a lasting emotional connection between the driver and their vehicle.
