Data is always by design. With scientific patterns and trajectories, it naturally correlates to design attributes, giving it a new dimension and meaning to the artists’ creations. ‘Project Moonshot’ [ムーンショット], is a result of millions of years of data published by NASA, IMSAL, Earth Observatory and other space research organizations; keepers of solar, lunar and celestial data. To capture a multifarious color ‘Moonbow Blue’ that changes with light, we engineered an artistic expression of the natural phenomenon ‘Moonbow’, which most of humankind will never experience in their lifetime.

INFINITI launched its QX60 as a symbol of the brand’s design distinction by celebrating their source of inspiration in Japanese nature. From textures to patterns to even the color, this car challenged the industry norms of binary black and white, or classic rectilinear metallic colors. The ask was to be the first luxury automotive brand to celebrate the color story of a car, in a truly immersive way.

‘Moonbow Blue,’ a paint that changed with light, was a proprietary formula inspired by Moonbow, a rare natural phenomenon. Apart from bringing-to-life the moonbow artistically, the aim was to capture the Japanese design principles that informed the color: Utsuroi [移ろい] –ephemeral change, Nijimu [滲む]– emotive revelation, and Hibikiau [響きあう] – sensorial resonance. A design expedition for INFINITI’s brand audience who consistently over-indexed on their interest in contemporary arts and culture.

Moonbow Blue is a color that changes depending on how the light falls on it. Much like its inspiration in Japanese nature, the elusive Moonbow. What makes it a rare phenomenon is the variables factors like light, intensity, distance, angle and moisture. It only occurs when full moon light is refracted through water droplets in the atmosphere at an angle of 42°or lower. The idea was to bring this inimitable story to life in a real-time experience.

INFINITI x Ouchhh Studio present ‘Project Moonshot’ [ムーンショット] - a data-enabled, design expedition that presents INFINITI QX60’s Moonbow Blue through a series of real-time generative art. Each artwork is an ever-evolving visualization using live Astro-data from NASA, Earth Observatory, NOAA and other space research organizations. The result; 16 distinctive art pieces that keep changing with the cosmic data, activated in auto-shows, retail spaces and outdoor.

Before setting out on the design expedition, we took time to understand the aspects of the color that we wished to capture. The first, how Moonbow Blue changes color with the intensity and angle in which the sunlight interacts with the paint. Second, the many colors it creates owing to its pearl base causing a RIPLEX effect with colors like Light blue, magenta, lilac and grey. Finally, the way the color moves along the body lines and sculpting of the car. Thus we identified three design variables: LIGHT, COLOR and FORM/MOVEMENT.

Next we identified data partners that have a repository of millions of years of astro data from a myriad of open-source data providers like NASA, Kaggle, Earth Observatory, NOAA and other space research organizations. The data we gathered and interpreted were: Solar Data (for light and shadow), Lunar Data (for color) and Starlight Data (for light movement).

Once the data was gathered; it went through three key steps - ANALYSIS, ALLOCATION & INTEGRATION.

Data was analyzed and allocated in the following steps:

#1 NASA Solar Cycle Progression Data, decided the light and shadow in the artwork.

#2 Moon X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer Data and Moon Cluster Data, informed the color transformation in the artwork.

#3 HYG (Hipparcos, Yale Bright Star, Gliese catalogues) Data, defined the movement and form of each artwork.

After analyzing the datasets, with the outputs we gathered, we created customized procedural noise fields to create motion base maps for our simulations which then became art pieces. This process was conducted using the Houdini application.

Most importantly, the system allowed artworks to keep evolving real-time with new data; generating unique versions every second.

Our goal for the activation was to elevate INFINITI’s brand perception to become a luxury automotive player that truly understands the contemporary arts and technology. These are concurrent areas of interest for our target audience. But more importantly, to help our consumers understand INFINITI’s design philosophy inspired by Japanese nature. Despite its extensive coverage, the activation was never intended to be driven by a social or PR metric – but truly leave a lasting impression in the minds of our target audience. It made our target audience appreciate color in a new light – something they took for granted in the car buying process. A truly once-in-a-blue-moon experience powered by data.