2024.07.04 Kia
The Kia Tasman: Adding Art to Camouflage
If you’ve seen the teaser images for the Kia Tasman, you might have felt a refreshing change from the usual camouflage patterns. Kia is infusing art into its camouflage.
Have you ever seen a car covered in mysterious patterns while driving? These patterns are known as camouflage. They are used during the new car development process to prevent design leaks. Test vehicles draped in camouflage are a prime example. The intricate patterns of the camouflage create optical illusions that make it difficult to discern the car’s details.
Kia has taken this a step further by adding art to the camouflage. For the teaser image release of its first pickup truck, the Kia Tasman, Kia collaborated with renowned artist Richard Boyd-Dunlop under the theme ‘The Paths Never Taken’ to create artistic camouflage.
The name ‘Tasman’ is derived from Tasmania, the southernmost island of Australia, and the Tasman Sea. Tasmania’s diverse natural environment and rich culture combine to create a unique and wondrous landscape, home to various wildlife. Kia encapsulates the bold pioneering spirit and the untouched beauty of nature in the name ‘Tasman,’ representing a versatile lifestyle pickup that inspires new challenges and adventures.
The camouflage design for the Tasman, like its name, is imbued with deep meaning. Inspired by the wild beauty of the Australian landscape, the camouflage features organic and bold patterns abstracting the harmony between land and sea. This design expresses the beauty of nature and the spirit of adventure, embodying a commitment to guiding people through stunning landscapes and sharing life's boldest challenges through superior performance.
Kia held an art camouflage drawing contest titled ‘The Kia Tasman Design Competition’ from May 3 to 31. Participation was simple: design camouflage for the Tasman using art materials or digital drawing tools and post it on Instagram. The response was enthusiastic, with participants ranging from children to adult art enthusiasts. Curious about the reason behind using camouflage, typically the domain of car manufacturers, for a design contest, we asked Kia’s domestic communications team.
The Tasman is Kia’s first traditional pickup, so impactful customer communication was essential. While brainstorming events for potential Tasman customers, we envisioned families enjoying outdoor activities. To celebrate Family Month, we decided to create an event where the whole family could participate.”
The Tasman Design Competition had specific criteria: designs should reflect a ‘bold spirit of adventure’ like Richard Boyd-Dunlop’s art camouflage and include patterns and colors that serve the its function.
Judges assessed entries based on three criteria: understanding of the bold spirit of adventure, creativity considering the camouflage function, and expression of the idea. There were so many excellent entries that it was challenging to select the winners. Even the Tasman exterior design team from the Kia Design Center participated to ensure fair judging.
The Kia domestic communications team noted, “We received enthusiastic participation from a wide range of people, from children to professional illustrators, each bringing their unique interpretation to the Tasman. Each piece deeply resonated with us.” A total of 57 participants won awards in the Tasman Design Competition. Here are a few selected winning entries and the artists’ explanations.
Bold - @hongchch_design
“Inspired by Tasmania’s natural environment, this design embodies the spirit of bold exploration of the endless land and sea. The mysterious wildlife unique to Tasmania and the shimmering waves make the journey with the Tasman even more extraordinary. Repeating streamlined patterns and complementary colors were used to ensure the design fulfilled the camouflage's original function.”
무브먼트(Movement) - @mix_me__chl
Under the theme of nature and the origin of everything, the design expresses the Tasman as a new source of inspiration. Inspired by the Big Bang theory, the explosive image and energy are depicted in red, with fluorescent colors adding an urban trendiness. Animal patterns symbolize the start of nature, representing a single humanity and a single planet through dots.”
Movement - @hghspapa
I drew this by hand in my spare time. The off-road feel and rugged tire track patterns are designed to convey a strong image.”
인스퍼레이션(Inspiration) - @thekia_tasman
Historically, our ancestors imbued tigers with meanings of boldness and bravery through folk paintings. Tiger folk paintings represent ‘bravery against evil’, aligning with the image of Tasman."
Inspiration - @_nani_illust___
The name ‘Tasman’ comes from Tasmania and the Tasman Sea. Thus, the design incorporates its native animals, such as the Tasmanian devil and whale shark, and its main colors—green, red, and gold. Typhoons and waves were included to depict the roughness of the sea, using low saturation for camouflage functionality.”
Inspiration - @ticket96.art.nft
“Despite the difficult times, I hope the Blue Dragon, this year’s zodiac animal, wards off misfortune and evil spirits from everyone’s path and challenges.”
Reviewing the participants’ works was astonishing, showcasing the diverse ideas inspired by a single model, the Tasman. It highlighted how cars can make us dream. Kia’s effort to add art to the camouflage of the Tasman is a delightful initiative.
Considering the nature of this event, we might see artistic camouflage in Kia’s future models. Will such fresh events continue? Kia’s domestic communications team stated, “We will consider the concept of upcoming models to determine whether to proceed.” Kia plans to introduce the Tasman to domestic and global markets sequentially starting in 2025. Until then, we’ll see it driving around in its camouflage. We hope the Tasman continues to inspire many with its myriad ideas and meanings encapsulated in its camouflage.
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