The Power of Understatement

Yes, another car post. But don't get any ideas; I really could care less about cars… Except I'm a visual person, and being so I fall easily prey of the unusual looking, the pretty and the eye-stopper.

My school being where it is, I walk past beautiful cars everyday. But one especially caught my attention.

She's a pretty lady, all black, but the really interesting thing is the matte paintjob.
It was the first time I ever saw one and I have to confess I love it. It's incredibly eye-catching, the power of understatement among all those shiny cars…

Since the first starry-eyed day I did my homework. It appears this kind of paintjob is not as uncommon as I thought among very luxurious cars and is quite tricky to keep clean. I also saw much bigger cars with a similar matte paint, a Land Rover and a Mercedes: both did pull it off beautifully.
Visually the matte is interesting in the way it catches light. It could be said dull, but the contrast with other cars really works in its favor. As I said it’s a nice demonstration of the power of understatement and sobriety as ways to stand out and differentiate.
It’s also a brave choice in the sense that when downplaying, the risk is actually not being seen. But of course, the fact that this kind of paintjob is actually an expensive one only adds to the attraction.