BASF automotive paint receives Red Dot Award
The color Zenomenon, designed by BASF's Coatings division, was the only automotive paint to receive an award in this year's Red Dot Award Product Design competition.
The paint formulation of the automotive color Zenomenon from BASF Coatings is based on polymer structures developed by the cooperation partner Cypris Materials from California. Instead of classic pigments, special polymer structures are used that have a high proportion of renewable materials. The color tone thus represents a more sustainable alternative in the area of surface aesthetics for car paints. The result is a unique color effect created by self-assembling, layer-like structures that reflect light in the visible spectrum with a flop effect. This gives the surface of the paint layer a strikingly iridescent, iridescent sheen. With a view to the mobility of the future, these polymers are also suitable for LIDAR or radar sensor systems.
"A Red Dot award in product design is a very special honor for us - especially as a chemical company. The award underlines our expertise in the areas of design and technology - and the trust in innovative solutions that our customers in the automotive industry place in us," says Mark Gutjahr, Global Head of Automotive Color Design at BASF. All submissions to the Red Dot Design Award are judged on the basis of the four basic principles of good design: The quality of function, the quality of seduction, the quality of use and the quality of responsibility. "Zenomenon's future-oriented development is remarkable and the interplay of aesthetics, sustainability and functionality is inspiring," says the independent Red Dot jury. All award-winning products, including an exhibit painted with Zenomenon, will be on display until May 2025 as part of the winning exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum at the Zollverein Essen UNESCO World Heritage Site.