Meet the artist: Detroit vehicle wrap

There’s nothing quite like a contest to get communities engaged and excited for an upcoming autonomous vehicle (AV) launch. So that’s exactly what we set out to do for Detroit’s Accessibili-D AV service.

We brought together the city’s artists for the company’s first May Mobility Car Wrap Contest. Working with the Office of Mobility Innovation, May Mobility invited artists from all walks of life to contribute their artistic flair and innovative ideas to transform May's autonomous vehicles into eye-catching displays that embody the spirit of Detroit.

Here’s what winner Haley Petz had to say about her experience:

What motivated you to enter the contest?

I saw on LinkedIn that May Mobility was looking for local artists to work on a car wrap. I really like doing contests that give back to the community and if my art gets picked, my work gets to be shared with other community members.

How does your design reflect the brand identity or message of the city of Detroit?

I went through the city of Detroit and sought out what responds well with the people of Detroit. The most well-known thing is our primary colors, so I started with that.

Then, when I was looking at different icons from the city of Detroit, I was immediately drawn to the Spirit of Detroit. It is part of the city of Detroit's logo and is a hallmark statue in downtown. I added the Renaissance Center because that is the tallest building in the city and it is an integral part of the Detroit skyline. These elements made it simple to recognize that the vehicles represent Detroit. I also stuck with the color palette from the city of Detroit's branding marketing just to keep it all together as one.

As I worked on the design, I also pulled some creative ideas from the different murals around downtown. The city of Detroit is a very creative and very artistic city. It's like, we're here and we're loud and we're artistic.

Can you share some challenges you faced designing this wrap and how you overcame them?

When creating the car wrap design for May, there were a few obstacles in the design and scaling process. Figuring out how to put the icons and the different Detroit city elements on the wrap without obstructing everything else was one challenge.

Another obstacle was working around doors, tires, and the handles of the vehicle. It took time to rescale designs, but ultimately it helped so that icons weren’t warped by the actual shape of the vehicle and they stood out when the design was implemented.

What unique elements or features did you incorporate into your design to make it stand out?

Definitely incorporating unique elements such as the Spirit of Detroit and the History of Motown’s sound wave and our music was a way to make the wrap stand out.

How do you think your designs could potentially enhance the public perception of autonomous vehicles?

There’s lots of talk about autonomous vehicles and, for the most part, not everyone is sure of their safety and reliability. Talking amongst my peers, we think having designers and artists take over the outside of the vehicle brings a softer, more humanistic touch to May Mobility’s vehicles.

How can initiatives like the contest help May Mobility foster a sense of trust and excitement around the future of urban mobility?

Initiatives like the art contest bring a sense of community and artistic expression. Having someone within the community work with May’s team to create an artistic expression of their community builds a bridge of trust and acceptance between May Mobility and that community.

How was your experience riding in a May Mobility autonomous vehicle?

I was a little timid at first. I’d never actually been around an autonomous vehicle. It was definitely a new experience for me but it gave me a little more ease to learn how the system worked.

I understand software to a certain degree so it was just really amazing to get that information while being in the car and watching it work. Watching how the car responded to everything was fascinating and I would love to go on another ride when there is an opportunity.