Geely explains how cabin materials and colours are decided

Deciding how the car should be shaped is just one small part of designing a car. There is also the process of deciding what colours for the exterior and interior as well as the textures should be applied on said car so it would appeal to buyers. But what are the factors and who decides which colour would fit?

Geely gave us an insight into how colours are decided in their Geely Design studio in Shanghai, China. The department is called the Geely Design China’s Colour Material and Finish (CMF) and it is led by two ladies: Director Elsa Zhang and Dana Popescu.

CMF oversees all that you can see and touch in a car for both the exterior and the interior. The designers in CMF play a fundamental role in writing the story and evoking an emotional connection between the buyer and the car.

In Elsa’s words: “Shape designers sculpt a figure of a person, and then CMF designers take charge in putting on the make-up, clothes and hairstyle to give the figure a personality that reinforces its character.

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“On rare occasions though, a strongly defined personality is expected from the get-go, where a certain colour or material might influence the design instead”. She added that in an ideal scenario, all disciplines get to innovatively work together on the same depth, and in a cohesive way.

Think of the CMF team as the sound masters when it comes to producing a movie. Filming and editing a movie is just a small part of the process, the background music also contributes largely to the success of the movie.

So, what are the considerations that have to be taken into account when it comes to picking colours and textures for a car?

First off designers will have to take into consideration the characteristics of the particular model. These are defined by the product and marketing teams, for example: is the car going to be an SUV or a coupe? Is the car family-oriented or a more corporate-focused model? What about the age group?

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For example, cars like the boxy Geely Icon would work better with solid colours or opaque effects. The Geely Xingyue, on the other hand, might work better with colours that would accentuate its lines and features. Metallic or sparkles would also further complement cars like the Xingyue.

CMF designers will also have to account for current and upcoming trends as well as the psychological and cultural aspects. As an example, due to the pandemic, anxiety is at an all-time high, so designers tend to lean towards soothing tones instead of something flashy or neutral.

But it’s not all just about the looks and who the market audience is either, CMF designers also have to take into account the traditional mindset of buyers.

Black, for example, is usually chosen for business purposes or as an ‘easy’ colour, while silver and white are usually the choices for better resale value.

For these people, personal preference takes a backseat while the logical mind makes the decision. So, colour is a subjective matter that cannot be generalised.

After selecting a colour, the CMF team will submit the choices to the product and marketing team before proceeding to mass production.

Though the CMF team doesn’t make the final decision on whether the car will come offered in the colour they believe would suit the car, they are still the people who breathe life into the car.

Their suggestions and choices will give each model its distinct personality and set the model apart from its rivals.