BASF Coatings' Global Trend Book

Inspiration and information: Every year, BASF Coatings’ Global Trend Book presents 65 new trend colours for automotive OEM coating. In addition to original colour samples from the new paint collection, it also offers the carmakers’ designers in-depth background information about the trends and their developments.

A special feature of the book is its design concept, which is adapted to the collection’s trend topic every year and weaves its way throughout the publication as a theme. The Global Trend Book was designed by BASF’s Global Design Team, which consists of 11 designers worldwide in close co-operation with the agencies ARE WE DESIGNER and RAUM MANNHEIM. The book is the main communication medium of BASF Coatings’ designers and has received numerous international design awards in recent years, including the Red Dot Award, the iF Award and the Horizon Award.

The colour designers compile the book’s content from their trend research in North and South America, Asia and Europe. "We work with trend worlds. This means that we focus our trend analysis on three defined areas: technology, society and individuality. It enables us to meticulously follow global developments. "What’s happening here? Where are attitudes, living habits or technical possibilities in flux?" explained Astrid Van der Auwera, Global Strategic Marketing at BASF’s Coatings division.

After an intensive analysis, the designers filter out important trend aspects and define six trend worlds. Regional colour trends and global developments from the areas of technology, society or individuality are presented in six specifically designed trend booklets. "This layout allows us to present globally relevant trend colours and address the requirements in regional markets," explained Mark Gutjahr, Head of Design Europe at BASF Coatings. In this way, the book provides the carmakers’ colour and trim designers with access to a solid basis for their colour decisions, which they will see on the roads in three to five years. The colour presentation is supported by the newly designed 3D panels. The special geometry of the panels enables the colour and special-effect behaviour of the paint to be simulated on the body and to be evaluated in a differentiated manner.

The current trend book, entitled ‘RAW’, will be revealed together with the colour trends in late July and will be presented to the carmakers’ designers at exclusive customer-specific events.