studio|H2G: Detroit Auto Show 2015

Cars – yes another blog entry about cars!

In our studio, everyone has a strong affinity for cars and car design. Maybe it is because most of us grew up in and around the Motor City? Or maybe it’s because we are designers and we love good design.

Whatever the reason, at Studio H2G we are totally passionate about cars and car design. In Metro Detroit, January typically brings a lot of snow. Regardless of the cold and the snow, we all look forward to the Detroit Auto Show. This is the auto show that kicks off the year of car shows – LA, Paris, Frankfurt etc. Detroit is home turf for a number of the US car companies and nearly all foreign car companies have a presence here.

Technology was a big part of the brand statements.

If you’ve never been to an auto show – it is a trade show, not unlike other trade shows in that each company has it’s own booth or display. At the auto show, the booths tend to be environmental brand statements, they are large (large enough to showcase several vehicles), and often, more than one story high. This year the trend was definitely on technology.

Here are some musings from the show floor:

Best use of technology, by far, was Chevy

This short clip shows a small portion of the layering of screen style digital overlapping a high def digital wall in the distance. The key here was not only the layering effect of the screen style overlapping the high def style, but the number of these set ups within the booth area. Standing in the middle of the Chevy booth you were surrounded by large scale digital graphics. As a guest I felt submerged in the experience.

Large overhead structures conveyed movement:

Many of the auto companies chose to convey movement and flow with their space.

Overhead structures, some soft curves, and many echoing the shapes and lines of the cars.

Monochromatic for added Drama – an often-used retail merchandising directive used to draw shoppers to several items of varying size and shape but unified by a single color.