I was looking at a Skoda the other day and thinking what a high quality vehicle they had created (for the price).
The only thing which deters many buyers, I suspect, is the badge. I don’t just mean that the marque is regarded with suspicion by serious car buyers, although that may be true. I actually mean that the physical badge they have designed to symbolise their product looks like a green ink stain made by an unsupervised four year old.
The badge itself looks ugly and offputting.So, rather than attempt to argue the point with the board of VW Audi Group, or whoever owns them this week, it occurred to me that there might be a better way.
Today’s invention is an online tool which allows each individual car buyer to design their own badges for their new car. These are intended to replace a manufacturer’s badges completely and overcome any stigma associated with them. The resulting designs could be made via desktop manufacturing machinery and mailed to the owner to be press-fitted and/or glued over the originals, perhaps.
Having my own badge on a new car would certainly allow me to consider buying a range of vehicles which, at the moment, are defaced by carrying ugly, silly versions eg Subaru, Daewoo, Lexus and Mazda, to name but a few.
Hi Patrick,
Ponoko may be able to assist you here (well, when we go live for all to utilise)! Ponoko’s a cool new company looking at the very real future of offering anyone (from highly proficient designers/creators/inventors, to those who’ve just got a cool idea) the tools and contacts to give it a go, and potentially create long term revenue (or just create something cool for themselves that they’ve always wanted – like your own personalised car badge!).
Sign up to be a part of the open beta testing that will happen in a couple of months, register here. Cheers, Nic, Ponoko.
Dear Nic,
Looking forward to it! I’m so sick of having access only to poorly designed products. My current bugbear is mechanical parts which have been designed by electronic engineers…just look at the world of consumer gizmos and it is full of this flimsy trash.
P