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[VIDEO] Hyundai Sonata Design Philosophy Subject of New Commercials

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Our televisions, radios, and websites are filled with boisterous car advertisements to buy, buy, buy! Understandably, automotive vehicles are a product, and any business’s main intent is to sell its product. We as consumers are thus faced with an unceasing barrage of demands for our money.

But, rarely does an automotive brand turn its advertisements from demanding we buy a product to simply appreciating a product’s beauty. True, the approach is a bit self-indulgent, but the results can be surprisingly stirring.

Such is the case with a new three-part series. Hyundai has released a trilogy of spots focusing on the Hyundai Sonata design philosophy.

Differing from traditional “commercials,” these (more-appropriately named) short films don’t feature any voice-over narration, fast cars, funny characters, or catchy slogans.

They simply focus on the Sonata itself.

Combined, the three spots clock in at a fitting three minutes, which you can watch below.

Hyundai Sonata Design Philosophy: The Creation

From the opening frame and piano soundtrack, we know that this will be an “artsy” approach.

The dynamic contrast between light and dark (chiaroscuro) and the pale, near black-and-white palate aren’t common in everyday commercials. Following are a series of images: people drawing, sanding, cutting, typing, composing. The visions in their heads are being forged into real-world results.

The “Creation” segment of the Hyundai Sonata design philosophy illustrates a vision that has begun anew. After regressing back to original forms (an egg, solid block, lumber, a pencil on paper), we see the Sonata fade onto the screen. The underlying idea is that the new Sonata isn’t just a tweaked older version, but an entirely new vision.

Hyundai Sonata Design Philosophy: The Experience

How do you show a car in action without it ever moving? And how do you avoid the frantic camerawork following a car on the road when you just want to focus on the little details of the driver’s experience?

Hyundai has achieved this difficult task brilliantly in its “Experience” spot on the Hyundai Sonata design philosophy.

In a series of lighting, sound, and camera tricks, the entire process of stepping into, turning on, and driving in a car is illustrated without having a driver or the car turning on.

Tight close-ups of the door handle, seat belt, start button, stick shift, and so on are paired with matching sound effects.

The final result truly captures the feeling of driving in a car in a way impossible to describe in words.

Hyundai Sonata Design Philosophy: The Touch

The last segment in the Hyundai Sonata design philosophy series, “The Touch,” acknowledges that every experience we have involves tactile connection.

Starting with an image of a hand in darkness, the footage progresses through multiple actions involving touching (braiding a child’s hair, squeezing a pillow, reading braille). The tactile memory is stirred in the viewer as the hands on screen read, play, create memories, connect over distances, and feel longing.

The film closes on a driver in the new Sonata, hesitating before beginning his drive, and taking a moment to soak in the truly spiritual experience that touch can bring.

Experience the short film yourself below, which includes all three stirring segments:

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