Until yesterday, I’d never heard of Rollin ‘Molly’ Sanders. But it turns out I’ve been an admirer of his work for many years.
Molly was an American graphic designer and custom painter whose work helped shape some of the most recognisable visual identities in the automotive and motorsport world.
Kawasaki‘s distinctive green. Yamaha‘s yellow and black racing colours. Toyota‘s famous TRD stripes. And even the Lexus logo.
Quite a portfolio.
Local Marketing
for Automotive.
Molly was a visionary in his use of colour. He understood how powerful a distinctive colour or design could be in making a brand instantly recognisable, and his work has stood the test of time.
What I particularly like is the story behind Kawasaki’s green.
Back in 1969, green was considered unlucky in motorsport, so it was a colour most manufacturers avoided. But Kawasaki needed to stand out, and Molly helped them do just that.
More than 50 years later, you only have to see that particular shade of green to think Kawasaki.
His colour schemes and graphic designs, applied consistently over decades, have helped do much the same for Yamaha and Toyota Racing Development, amongst many others.
Including one from my teenage past. EMPI’s awesome Inch Pincher Too, the Volkswagen drag racing Bug with its cool paintwork. That car was an inspiration, helping to get me into air-cooled Volkswagens, the modified car scene and spannering in my spare time. I had absolutely no idea that Molly was the man behind its paintwork.
Four takes. One email.
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Having worked in marketing for over 25 years, I’ve occasionally heard what the marketing department does dismissed as ‘flower arranging’.
As if creative marketing is somehow less important than sales tactics.
But just think about the commercial value of that one colour choice.
Decades of recognition, familiarity and brand association.
Of course, these things alone don’t sell a product. But they can make an enormous difference to whether people notice it, remember it and ultimately choose it.
At We Are Acuity, we’ve always believed in the power of colour and creativity. Orange is our colour and creativity is our language. Both have been part of who we are from the beginning.
Molly passed away in 2010, but his work continues to do its job today.
Not a bad return on a simple creative idea applied consistently.
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