Car paint is boring. We know this from an endless deluge of data that finds that most cars are black, white, or gray. So when Mini decided it wanted to create an exciting color scheme for one of its cars, it didn’t turn to industry experts, but grade schoolers. The results prove that was a good idea.
To find a winner, Mini partnered with Crayola, because no other company could better equip kids to draw a paint job for a car. Together, they created the “Mini Minds… with Crayola” competition, which was open to 4-10-year-olds, and received hundreds of excellent entries from across the U.K.
“We’ve been truly inspired by the creativity displayed in the entries to our ‘MINI Minds… with Crayola’ competition,” said Frederico Izzo, head of Mini U.K. & Ireland. “We had entries which focused on being better for animals, boosting the mood of those around them, helping save the bees and plenty with a focus on sustainability — the creativity of the designs were fantastic.”
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However, only one entry could win, and ultimately the companies chose the design penned crayonned by Oliver Gorrod, of Didcot, Oxfordshire. The nine-year-old’s design is inspired by nature, and the vehicle that he was drawing for: the Mini Electric. Clearly, he’s heard Marshall McLuhan’s old adage that “the medium is the message.”
“I can’t believe I have won! It was such a surprise and was so fun to enter as I love designing things,” said Gorrod. “I like the idea of all cars being electric, as they are better for the environment, animals and the planet. My car is designed as camouflage, so it blends into natural environments.”
As the winner, Gorrod got to see his drawing on a full size car. Given the complexity of the design, and the fact that it could only have been drawn by the artist, it won’t surprise you to learn that the end result is achieved using a vinyl wrap. Once the covering was applied, Gorrod and his classmates received a visit from the finished car.
In addition, the car was there delivering a big bundle of Crayola art materials for Gorrod and his school, as a prize for winning the design competition. Moreover, the young artist will be given a tour of Mini’s plant in Oxford, to see how the Mini Electric is made.
“We are excited to bring Oliver’s design to life and hope he will continue to innovate and dream big in the future,” said Izzo.
