BASF presents winner of 2016 fight club of automotive design at Middlecott Sketchbattle

SOUTHFIELD, MI, January 28, 2016 – Omar Gonzalez won the 2016 Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment, presented by BASF. Introduced in 2012, the experiment is Detroit’s first-ever “Fight Club of Design” and underground automotive industry event developed to identify emerging design talent.  

The event coincides with the Detroit Auto Show, and is an automotive sketching competition where contestants battle for the championship. Fourteen contestants competed under pressure, in front of an audience in a timed, three-round boxing themed setting.

 “Sketchbattle is an amazing event that enables emerging industry talent to shine. These artists and designers are the future of the automotive industry,” said Paul Czornij, Technical Manager for the BASF Color Excellence Group and Sketchbattle judge. Other judges included: Ralph Gilles, Head of Design, FCA - Global; Bregt Ectors, Global Strategic Design Manager, Buick and Kemal Curic, Design Manager, Ford Mustang.

“It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had, and I was extremely impressed by the audience and judges. It was a pleasure to sketch live for all of them. Middlecott Sketchbattle is a great platform for young designers to make connections inside the automotive industry,” said Gonzalez, a native of Mexico who recently graduated from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) in Monterrey, Mexico in the Industrial Design program.

To add interest to the competition, sketchers incorporated colors developed by the BASF automotive color excellence group to celebrate the company’s 150 anniversary in 2015. Four colors were developed – one for each of BASF’s global regions – Arjean Silver for North America, Nightfall Blue for South America, Solaric Green for Europe and Fresh Mint for Asia-Pacific.  A different color was used for each round of the competition.

 “The use of BASF colors in this year’s competition presented the contestants with a unique design opportunity to convey their dreams in color in 30 minutes or less,” said Frank Schwartz, Co-owner and Partner, Middlecott Sketchbattle. “The anniversary colors brought the designer’s passions to the forefront, and the judges had a very difficult time choosing a winner, although Omar’s consistency throughout the evening helped bring him the award.”

Download photo #1 on right, suggested caption: 2016 Sketchbattle winner, Omar Gonzalez, with his championship belt.

Download photo #2 on right, suggested caption: Omar Gonzalez’s first round sketch featuring BASF Nightfall Blue, 150 anniversary color from South America.

Download photo #3 on right, suggested caption: Omar Gonzalez’s second round sketch featuring BASF Fresh Mint, 150 anniversary color from Asia Pacific.

Download photo #4 on right, suggested caption: Omar Gonzalez’s third round sketch featuring BASF Arjean, 150 anniversary color from North America.

Download photo #5 on right, suggested caption: The 14 design competitors sketch at a table surrounded by hundreds of onlookers during the 2016 Middlecott Sketchbattle presented by BASF.

About BASF’s Coatings division

BASF’s Coatings division develops, produces and markets innovative automotive coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. We operate sites in Europe, North America and South America as well as Asia Pacific. Within this network, we collaborate closely with our customers all over the world. In 2014, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €3 billion. More information about the division is available at www.basf-coatings.com.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20.6 billion in 2014. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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