AkzoNobel inspires the future of automotive design

Earlier this year, we unveiled our first-ever automotive sample set for our annual ColorSurfaces Trend Collection. This collection of automotive-specific substrate samples is designed to ignite creativity and innovation, and demonstrate new color possibilities in interior and exterior automotive design.

Every year, AkzoNobel’s creative team meets with external design experts to discuss the consumer trends that are expected to influence color and material choices over the next 12 months, including our overall Color of the Year.

The result is ColorSurfaces, a visually stunning color collection that distils these global trends into inspiring coating palettes for the automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics industries.

During last year’s “Trend Forecast Brainstorm,” we picked up on some key themes: the universal desire for peace of mind, greater clarity, moments of joy and a sense of belonging.

These insights inspired our 2023/24 Color of the Year, Sweet Embrace - a subtle metallic shade that set the stage for the four stunning color palettes that made up our E19 Trend Collection.

Stephie Sijssens, Global Color Design Manager at AkzoNobel, explains further: "ColorSurfaces is our annual trend collection designed to spark our customers' imaginations. It blends deep research into global consumer trends, extensive material research, and insights from top industry experts.

“For the first time, we applied this creative spark specifically to the automotive industry in 2024, producing a dedicated sample product portfolio for our E19 Trend Collection. Our bespoke range of color samples was crafted to elevate every aspect of automotive design, from sleek, modern styles to timeless, classic looks. The four carefully curated coating palettes that made up our E19 Automotive Trend Collection were designed to inspire new possibilities with on-trend finishes and special effects.”

The future of automotive design is ever-evolving and our annual ColorSurfaces Trend Collection encapsulates the shifting roles and perceptions in our lives, offering shades, finishes and effects that can be mixed and matched to create a wide range of automotive design concepts.

Our latest E19 Automotive Trend Collection product portfolio includes a wealth of information on AkzoNobel's automotive products, providing designers with insights and inspiration for their next project.

AkzoNobel’s Automotive and Specialty Coatings design team is also on hand to develop custom shades and finishes tailored to specific design needs.

Our next Color of the Year for 2024/25 and the accompanying ColorSurfaces E20 Trend Collection will be revealed in September, with an automotive-specific sample product portfolio to follow for the second time in January 2025.