Yan Guangming: Viewing SUV from Yan Zhiping's Paladin Visual Design

Lead: Since the Paladin became famous in World War I in Dakar, the "Red Chariot" has become a "symbol of China". Later, during the three-year battle in Dakar, Yu Zhiping strengthened paladin's visual design language and extended it to Ruiqi and pickup truck, which evolved into a symbolic origin and was deeply implanted in people's minds. The popularity of SUV today is largely related to the advent of this car. Yu Zhiping said that the reason is news, sociality and event, which has a high degree, depth and breadth in communication. Such out-of-bounds and out-of-bounds, even today, are hard to meet again.

Author | Yan Guangming, editor | He? son

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the listing of Paladins. I remembered Yu Zhiping. Because he is the visual design director of Paladin. Looking at the public relations communication and marketing of SUV in recent 20 years, by contrast, it has not surpassed paladin's influence and social attention. Even today, paladin's visual communication design is still not out of date, which has practical reference significance. The slogan "indulge in the vast world and control the dream of freedom" has become a classic.

△ Yu Zhiping on the left and the author on the right.

A few days ago, we met in a teahouse and recalled the past. Paladin's public relations communication is very vivid. In retrospect, it has been 20 years, and it is still so wonderful that it has become a much-told story. Look at Yu Zhiping, who is already a well-known creative director in Shanghai advertising industry. Seeing his shining forehead will conjure up the charm of creativity.

△ paladin came out as a fashion SUV.

Yu Zhiping and I are old friends. As soon as the words are opened, Yu Zhiping will gush. He will analyze the shape, purpose and function of the car and then deconstruct it. Just like shooting CT, he will quickly find the pulse of product highlights and the logic of customer demands, come up with a display plan, and turn concepts and ideas into visual language, which is easy to understand and understand at a glance.

△ Yu Zhiping is an outstanding representative of the advertising industry in Shanghai.

This is the ability of advertisers. I read the origin of SUV, an epoch-making symbol, from the paladin advertisement he designed (there was almost no introduction of similar vehicles before). He said that automobile advertising is an indispensable element of modern life, and advertising creativity is a map that reflects consumers' demands. Looking at paladin from today's perspective, it is not only a pioneer in opening up a new category of SUV, but also an advocate of SUV culture.

△ paladin is called the most discriminating car by the media.

In February 2003, Pyradin was listed in Commune at the Foot of the Great Wall. This is a kind of architectural cultural creation in the name of design, which is actually a concept played by real estate developers, pretending to be "nouveau riche" and speculating themselves. At that time, it was listed as a "cultural event" (the building of Venice Biennale), and the media followed suit and made a fire. Zhengzhou Nissan is keenly aware that this is a fashion culture, which can take advantage of the situation to empower products and try to produce communication effects. Yu Zhiping said that fashion is a popular expression at the beginning of this century, and cars are no exception. Paladin came out as a fashionable SUV.

Commune at the Foot of the Great Wall The Shuiguan Great Wall, 40 kilometers from Beijing, belongs to the Ming Dynasty architecture. Surrounded by desolate mountains, the Great Wall is built on the ridge with extraordinary momentum, and at the foot of the mountain is a dilapidated village. Real estate developers use abandoned mountains to provide the foundation for architectural creative design, which is called "architect corridor". It has a wide network of people, and here a group of Asian architects are engaged in architectural creation, with the slogan "collecting architectural art". Avant-garde, international standard, bullish. In such a scene, paladin's contact with it (at the foot of the Great Wall) can highlight the artistic conception of "indulging in a vast world", and with the Great Wall as the background, it has the momentum of "controlling free dreams", which finds the basis for the practical demand of SUV for multi-functional sports vehicles and vividly interprets its cultural value.

△ Paladins attach great importance to the combination with cultural elements in communication.

The inspiration of Yu Zhiping's paladin visual design comes from this. His communication manuals, new car advertisements, scene maps, including posters, and details of on-site environment layout are all accurate and fully in place. In terms of grades and specifications, paladin is not inferior to the luxury cars listed at that time. As far as the release site is concerned, it is calm, fashionable and avant-garde, which shocked the media and public relations circles in Beijing, integrated the fashion SUV with the creative building, and provided the experience of the application scene.

It was at this listing meeting that I paid attention to Yu Zhiping's advertising design. He told me that advertising design should not only be easy to understand, but also have aesthetic and cultural output, and good design often produces symbolization. For example, the "Chariot" pattern of the Paladin Dakar International Cross-country Rally is symbolic, with Peking Opera masks as the main body and "China Red" as the finishing touch (green embellishment). Everyone can understand this design expression-"China symbol", which is called the most discriminating racing car by the media, and fans regard paladin racing car as a "magic car". Nowadays, when we talk about Dakar, we think of paladins. The visual design behind it plays an indispensable role.

△ Yu Zhiping believes that advertising design should not only make people understand, but also have aesthetic and cultural losses.

Looking at the series of advertisements and ideas designed by Yu Zhiping for paladin, the whole process from "fashion SUV" to "round golf" and then from "spiritual grazing" to "Dakar Games" is like watching a series, which is not only self-contained and clear in logic, but also relaxed and rich in connotation. Through personalization, symbolization, implantation and gradual progress, the advertising design has been pushed to a new communication height. So far, there is no similar system case. For example, a fashion SUV will have an urbanization background; On the golf wheel, there will be leisure scenes; Spiritual grazing will have poetic romance; There will be smoke in Dakar, and so on. There is a book designed by him, The Battle of Dakar, which can be seen in Zhiping's talent in book binding and design. I can hold it in my hand, it's pleasing to the eye and I can't put it down.

Paladin's advertising design won many awards and was included in the advertising yearbook. Yu Zhiping said that this is because paladin came out earlier, and the outside world knew little about SUV and car information, which took up the preconceived light. I remember that I didn't know much when Zhengzhou Nissan wanted to promote multi-functional sports cars to consult the media. At that time, similar SUV models were called jeep or off-road vehicle in China. Manufacturers intend to directly intervene in the private consumer market. This is undoubtedly the first time for a car company that mainly produces pickup trucks. Not only inexperienced, but also risky. Moreover, at that time, the family car had not been fully rolled out, and it was not familiar with automobile consumption (limited purchasing power), so such a model that was still a "special car" in the eyes of the public was uncertain (I don't know how to define it in public life and consumption), especially for private people to pay the bill, both for consumption reasons and market positioning were insufficient and unclear. How to define (paladin)? The manufacturer suggested that I interview Yu Zhiping, creative director of Dentsu Group Shanghai Dongpai Advertising Company, who is in charge of advertising design and creativity in paladin.

In fact, before this, we have known each other. At that time, he was responsible for the advertising creativity of Dongfeng Nissan, and we had dealt with each other in Guangzhou. Judging from his age and qualifications, Yu Zhiping is an outstanding representative of the advertising industry in Shanghai. 1990 Shanghai advertising company took a fancy to Yu Zhiping when it went to Shanghai University for recruitment, which changed Yu Zhiping's idea of staying as a teacher and made him a senior advertising designer in the future. Today, Yu Zhiping not only ranks among the most influential creative directors in the domestic advertising industry, but also serves as a judge of various advertising selections. He is invited to give lectures to young people from time to time, and the response is enthusiastic. Mentioning these, Yu Zhiping said that this is mainly to catch up with the good times. In his words, follow the right master, take fewer detours, and exercise and experience are indispensable.

Yu Zhiping is modest and courteous, gentle in speech and solid in professional skills, and has made great achievements and unique attainments in art photography. He said that when he first arrived in Shanghai, he met a lot of big coffee in the advertising industry, such as photographers, creative people and market researchers. He was impressed and knowledgeable. At that time, Shangguang, where he worked, was a monopoly advertising company in Shanghai, with a high threshold. Talking about his own growth, he said that besides being lucky, he also had the right time, the right place and the right people. Later, Shangguang cooperated with Ogilvy & Mather, and Yu Zhiping was sent to Singapore to study for a period of time. After coming back, he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility and became a rising star of advertising creativity.

△ paladin's advertising design won many awards and was included in the advertising yearbook.

Since the Paladin became famous in Dakar, the "Red Chariot" has become a symbol of China. Later, during the three-year battle in Dakar, Yu Zhiping strengthened paladin's visual design language and extended it to Ruiqi and pickup truck, which evolved into a symbolic origin and was deeply implanted in people's minds. The popularity of SUV today is largely related to the advent of this car. Yu Zhiping said that the reason is news, sociality and event, which has a high degree, depth and breadth in communication. Such out-of-bounds and out-of-bounds, even today, are hard to meet again.

comment

Yes, before paladin, there was no SUV in China, which was a blank. As the saying goes, times make heroes. Paladin is a "personalized" car model in the background that China cars are in the primary stage of consumption and focus on a single market. It broke the solidified "automobile consumption mode" and intervened in the barrier-free and all-weather travel mode, catering to the driving pleasure and spiritual needs of free flight. So the popularity of SUV was not accidental, but at that time.

Nowadays, paladins have become a thing of the past, drifting away and beginning to fade out. However, paladin's visual design (advertising creativity) is lingering, and the slogan "Indulge in a vast world and control free dreams" has become the label of an era.

(This article was originally written by "He Yan Reading Car" and may not be reproduced without authorization. )

This article comes from the author Yan He of Yi Che Hao, and the copyright belongs to the author. Please contact the author for any form of reprint. The content only represents the author's point of view and has nothing to do with the car reform.