Alludo > Case Studies > zedX - The Formula Student Electric Team at TU Berlin: A Case Study on the Use of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

zedX - The Formula Student Electric Team at TU Berlin: A Case Study on the Use of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors

Applicable Industries

Automotive
Cement

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Smart Parking
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

About The Customer

The customer in this case study is the zedX team from Berlin's Technical University (TU). The team is composed of automotive engineering students who share the dream of designing and building a racing car to participate in the renowned Formula Student Germany event in Hockenheim. The team was presenting their zedX project for the first time in 2010, a project that aimed to design and build a Formula racing car that would be made in a limited series of 1000 units and cost less than US$25,000 per car. The team was led by Philipp Kahle, who was responsible for creating the logo and promotional materials for the car using the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

The Challenge

The Formula Student Electric Team at TU Berlin, known as zedX, faced a significant challenge when they decided to participate in the renowned Formula Student Germany event in Hockenheim. The event was accepting entries for electric racing cars for the first time in 2010, and the team had less than ten months to design and build a racing car that would be made in a limited series of 1000 units and cost less than US$25,000 per car. The car had to meet several criteria, including speed, braking capability, design, fuel consumption, engine safety, and a comprehensive costing and marketing plan. The team also had to create a logo and promotional materials for the car, a task that fell to Philipp Kahle. He had to produce the first layouts of the four-page brochure and the logo for the car within the thirty-day trial period of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

The Solution

The team turned to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite to help them meet their design and marketing challenges. Kahle managed to produce the first layouts of the brochure and the logo for the car within the trial period of the software. He then contacted Corel and asked them to sponsor the project with a free license for the program, which they agreed to do. The software was easy to learn and use, even for a beginner, and it allowed the team to create their business cards and other promotional materials quickly and efficiently. The Corel solution was particularly helpful for creating sponsor stickers. Kahle had to work on about fifty sponsor logos, most of which were to be placed on the racing car itself. He had to create vector graphics from photos, graphics files or JPEGs, cut out the individual letters from them and change their colour to white. The whole thing was then saved as a DFX file and sent to the print shop.

Operational Impact

The use of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite had a significant impact on the operational results of the zedX project. The software allowed the team to quickly and efficiently create a logo and promotional materials for the car, which played a crucial role in their marketing strategy. The team was able to produce these materials under tight deadlines, which was essential given the short timeframe they had to complete the project. The software was also instrumental in creating sponsor stickers, a task that required a significant amount of work. The team's successful use of the software for their design and marketing needs contributed to their strong performance at the Formula Student Germany event and their recognition in the media and industry awards.

Quantitative Benefit

The team managed to design and build a racing car in less than ten months.
The car was made in a limited series of 1000 units and cost less than US$25,000 per car.
The team was ranked fourth in the business presentation at the Formula Student Germany event.