Humans on the Red Planet: the final frontier for Design

Space exploration has fascinated mankind since the dawn of time, but never as today are we so close to its actual realization.

On February 18, 2021, the NASA Perseverance rover touched the Martian surface and began its long journey to discover the Red Planet, documenting the spectacular views with photos and videos. This landing comes at a particularly significant time for all of humanity.
A global pandemic is raging across the Earth, forcing people to live a life of expectation and isolation. In a climate of general mistrust towards the future, Perseverance gives us Optimism and Hope.

Mars is dream, inspiration, opportunity.
Let’s escape and explore a new world.

AN EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE

Children born today are the first who might witness a human mission to Mars in their lifetime.
Sending humans to Mars represents not only a ‘new frontier’ for science but also for Design. Every detail of this extraordinary adventure must be designed: from the journey, to the clothes we will wear, to the food we will eat, to the spaces in which we will live.

The images that come from Perseverance stimulate the imagination of Architects and Designers and invite them to envision scenarios of daily life on another planet. The untouched beauty of the Martian landscapes then becomes a source of inspiration for the development of innovative materials, evocative chromatic effects and new textures.

Mars is everywhere.

Mars Colonisation

How survival on Mars might become possible is explored through visionary architectural projects.

Bas Lansdorp, CEO of Mars One, set out to colonise the red planet by 2023 with a proposal that included a series of modular inflatable life support units. Mars One planned to use third-party aerospace hardware and technology adapted from existing systems in its mission.
Warith Zaki and Amir Amzar use bamboo grown and harvested on Mars to build the first colony on the planet. The conceptual colony design comprises a series of structures woven from bamboo by autonomous robots.
New York studios SEArch and Clouds AO worked together on the concept for a frozen Mars abode.
Ice House features a pair of pods formed from ice and placed one inside the other to insulate inhabitants from Mars’ inhospitable climate.
Northwestern University researchers come up with a construction material that combines Martian soil with molten sulphur, which could be used to build an entire village on Mars. The material is produced without water, which is in scarce supply on Mars.

Greetings from Mars

In the fashion field, Mars has a strong presence both on the catwalks and on the advertising campaigns of the big brands. 

PUMA joined forces with founder Francky B for a special take on the Thunder runner. Dubbed “Astroness,” the sneaker takes cues from the surface of Mars and NASA’s original orange spacesuits for the pops of color across its muted upper its muted upper, which primarily sports grey, black and white detailing.
Heron Preston’s special capsule inspired by NASA reinterprets the iconic spacesuit and its materials in a fashionable way.
The global smartphone brand OPPO launches its campaign, ‘Lead the Species’. Capturing the pioneering spirit of OPPO, the campaign aims to encourage smartphone users to seize the opportunities offered by breakthrough technology to lead the way in exploring the possibilities of the future. 

Martian Anthology

Color Palette

The colors of the arid and desert landscape of Mars are mainly distributed in the arc of shades between Red and Yellow. Here, the undertones and overtones of Red creates a sense of subtle warmth. The different levels of saturation give the palette a solid balance and allow for the creation of both soft gradient and strong contrast combinations. The presence of a light cold Gray counterbalances the expressive power of the warm tones and increases the brightness of the chromatic palette.

Colors taken from one side of the color wheel make for harmonious combinations. Here, with earthen and radiant contrasts, the Martian palette soothes while capturing the innate fantasticality of the story.

Fashion Directions

Design Directions