Tribal design by student, Kyra wins the Lexus Design your own Tattooed Car Competition

A design featuring Native American tribal symbols has won the Lexus Design your own Tattooed Car competition for Walsall College student, Kyra Cleeton.

Her artwork gained the most votes in the final poll hosted on Lexus’s official Facebook and Instagram pages. It will now be faithfully recreated in a full-body vinyl wrap that will applied to a Lexus UX urban SUV.

Kyra from Cannock said: “As a graphic designer, I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to display my work, so being able to say that I designed a car for a Lexus has really opened up new doorways for me.  The voting had me on the edge of my seat and it was amazing to see everyone else’s creativity when going up against these talented designers. I will forever be grateful for everyone who voted for me and showed their support.”

Kyra’s design takes its inspiration from Native American tribal symbols, and features a skull wearing a headdress, dreamcatchers and arrows. The dreamcatcher is a talisman that protects people from bad dreams. Arrows can be used to symbolise messages: when pointing to the left they are warding off evil; to the right signifies protection; and pointing down means peace. The headdress symbolises bravery and strength.

The competition was inspired by the creation of a tattooed UX by artist Claudia De Sabe, and it continued Lexus’s celebration of design and craftsmanship by inviting people to create their own designs.

Once the UX has been decorated with the winning design, Kyra will join the car for a professional photo shoot as a permanent reminder of her success.

Scott Brownlee, Lexus head of PR and social media, said: “The competition showed a tremendous breadth of inspiration and creativity among the artists who took part and attracted a lot of attention and interest on our social channels during the voting process. Kyra’s design is a worthy winner, successfully applying the traditional artistry of tattooing to the ‘body’ of the Lexus UX. Congratulations to Kyra on her success.”