Humans are wonderful, messy, talented, things. Because of the great cosmic lottery, we’ve all got completely different spec sheets, optional extras, and color and trim choices. Some are good with their hands, and some of us are better with our brains. If you’re into cars, there’s probably a job somewhere in the industry that can accommodate whatever talents you have been gifted with. But no job is so secretive and shrouded in mystery as that of the person who actually decides what the steel box with wheels is going to look like, what it’s going to do, and how it functions.
So… how does one get to be a car designer? The popular conception of a car designer is of someone who sits around, headphones on drawing cars all day, pausing occasionally to drink an eye-widening coffee from a tiny cup. Every so often there will be some pointing at a model while nodding slowly. If I’ve taught you lot anything, hopefully it’s that there’s a lot more to it than that.
If you’ve been tagging along here for a bit I probably come across as a bit of a know-it-all, but a car designer is a jack of all trades and master of one. Okay, two. They need to be expert at both understanding the form of car and then knocking out some stunning visuals to demonstrate their ideas. Crucially, they also need a baseline knowledge of a whole boatload of more peripheral subjects. Automotive history. Branding. Marketing. Packaging. Physical and digital modeling. Consumer behavior. Usage scenarios… And another fifty or more things I can’t remember right now, but how do you learn it all? And once you’ve topped off your brain with all this crap, how do you demonstrate you actually understand all this stuff?
The answer is by taking an undergrad or master’s degree at one of the various colleges and universities around the world that offer such courses. It might be called vehicle, transportation, or even more pointedly automotive design, but it will be a specialist curriculum based solely on the conception and creation of vehicles. In the US the main schools are Art Center in Pasadena and College for Creative Studies in Detroit. In Europe there’s UMEA in Sweden, Strate in Paris, Pforzheim in Germany and IED in Turin. In Japan, there’s Tokyo College of Communication. And then of course there are the two times I got to wear a stupid gown for a day and then proceeded to get absolutely blind drunk after a pompous ceremony granting me a certificate with my name on it: Coventry and the Royal College of Art (RCA, which is post-grad only). There are other schools around the world offering similar design degrees, but those listed constitute the Ivy League – the pipeline that supplies talent to the majority of the OEMs.
Learning Is Fun!
Most will be three- or four-year programs, and a master’s is a further two years (although in some schools a master’s is only a year and I can’t even with the stupidity of that) on top of that. Teaching methods and course structure will vary, but the basic subjects covered are things like sketching and rendering, proportions, packaging, clay and digital modeling, form finding (mucking about with random physical objects and sticking wheels on it to come up with new shapes), creation of personas (using research to create a fictional customer and then designing a vehicle for them) and vehicle layouts. There will likely also be more academic, purely research-based projects, and at the master’s level, you have to write a fully referenced and cited dissertation. A lot of my peers at the RCA struggled with this, but funnily enough arguing in words isn’t exactly my weakness.
It’s a couple of messy years spent getting stinky modeling clay stuck in your clothes and your fingers covered in ink. Young hands will be turned into wizened claws from mammoth Alias sessions. Laptops become a hellscape strewn with half-started project folders, random mood images and scattered Blender files. This is all in preparation for the final year, where the students will attempt to pour everything they have learned up to that point into a compelling final major (graduation) project. Traditionally, this has always been done by making a quarter- or fifth-scale physical model, and all creative universities have a big, splashy end-of-year physical exhibition showcasing all the graduating students’ work across all disciplines. This all went a bit sideways during the pandemic when shows went online only and the models were all digital, but now doors are open again and honest-to-gosh models are available for in-person viewing. I went along to the 2024 Coventry show earlier this week to see how this year’s litter of auto design cubs is doing, and I’ve collected what I consider to be the best projects of the show here.
Mark Wu – Rimowa BiLeisure Link
I always like to see projects that are not the usual tweaking and rearranging of existing automotive ideas. A lot of students fall into the trap of just doing a future version of an existing car, or a car in a segment an OEM doesn’t currently occupy. Taking inspiration from a non-automotive brand and transposing that to a vehicle is much more interesting, and that’s precisely what our first subject, Mark Ru, has done. Here’s Mark:
BleisureLink is a car rental service that allows business travelers to extend their business trips and include some leisure travel. This enables them to explore their destination and enjoy some holiday time.
My inspiration for this project came from the vision and uniqueness of the luggage manufacturer RIMOWA. I aimed to bring the elegance and aesthetics of the fashion industry into the automotive world. The primary goal of this project was to encourage and inspire people to be curious about exploring the unknown by traveling.
Mark has taken a visually very distinct brand and transposed that identity onto something completely different, inside and out. There are some neat touches here: I especially like the area on the outside for placing stickers to show all the places you’ve been, the classic luggage travel trope.
More images and the complete project can be found on Mark’s Behance Page Here.
Diogo Conçlaves – Human Organ Transport Super Vehicle
Identifying a real problem and then designing a solution for it is another great way to come with an idea for a vehicle. Luckily Torch didn’t need a new heart, but if he had, in a utopian future it might have been sped to his operating theatre in one of these. Diogo spent a long time researching the unique challenges facing the timely delivery of fresh, juicy organs ripe for insertion into warm bodies and came up with this.
Revolutionizing organ transportation with HOT-SV (Human Organ Transport – Super Vehicle). The ultimate solution to life-saving logistics. Designed to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge technology for organ preservation, including the TRANSMEDICS Organ Care System (a device that keeps the transplants “alive”) the vehicle ensures the safe and efficient transport of vital organs.
HOT-SV incorporates security measures to safeguard against organ traffic and theft, providing peace of mind in critical situations. Its compact width of 850mm allows for effortless navigation through cycle lanes and congested areas, ensuring timely delivery even in the most challenging environments.
In an era where every second counts, HOT-SV stands as a testament to the power of technology and human ingenuity in saving lives.
Is it a bit sci-fi? Sure. But Diogo has thought the whole thing through end-to-end so it feels credible and makes sense in an aesthetically pleasing and logical way. That’s what separates this from being mere future computer game concept art nonsense.
More images and the complete project can be found on Diogo’s Behance page.
Jaeun Park – Dacia Midway
Remember what I said earlier about taking an OEM and moving into a new segment? The reason it’s such a minefield is because there’s enormous potential for ballsing it up if you try and do something stupid like a Jaguar pickup truck. By picking Dacia for his multi-purpose vehicle, Jaeun has got it spot on – right down to having symmetrical panels across the vehicle to save on stamping costs. [Ed note: shades of the AMC Cavalier concept]
The Midway is a sort of outdoor workshop for people who want or need to work outside, but don’t have their own space. The doors have a novel opening that can expand the interior volume or open fully back-to-back to reveal a toolbox and power outlets. The interior is modular, and the rear roof section lifts off to convert the car into a pickup truck. “It’s your own space where you can do anything comfortably. A technical design that fits, at an affordable price,” says Jaeun.
Jaeun was one of the few who had managed to make a large-scale model, milled out of foam from the digital model and then paneled with additional 3D-printed parts. You can see some of the work this involves and the complete project on Jaeun’s Behance page.
Dillon Dove – Duesenberg 100
Resurrecting a long-dead brand is another old student favorite, and if you can do it in a compelling way and adapt it for modern times, why not? I’d rather see something imaginatively out of the past reinterpreted for the modern age as opposed to another bloody Vision Gran Turismo concept (one of the excuses students use to do sports cars, which does not pass what I call the academic sniff test). In Dillon’s words:
The Duesenberg 100 primarily aims to answer one question: In 2037, 100 years after the loss of Duesenberg, if the iconic American brand was to return what would it look like?
By exploring historic and modern American luxury through fashion, architecture, and the Art Deco movement as well as iconic Duesenberg design features, I was able to construct my vision of the near future which can evoke the unapologetic opulence of the 20s & 30s but in a modern way. This was achieved through not just the visual appearance and perceived tactility, but also the ‘red carpet’ ingress through the long front of the vehicle and the overall focus on a relaxed experience taken to the next level with the absence of driving. Being fully autonomous it needs to change the perception of luxury travel by stimulating all the senses, from the interior touchpoints to the focused vision upwards at the natural surroundings, and the purified air running through the central channel going from the underbody to out of the centre of the roof of the vehicle. It must essentially provide theatre, excitement and involvement, but in a way that gets the user to their destination more relaxed and clear-minded than when they left.
It’s big, it’s opulent, and it screams money and power, exactly why people used to by Duesenbergs in the twenties and thirties. Some of the details are a little fussy but it’s always better to take a big swing with a car like this, and for the most part, Dillon has nailed it. Further images can be found on Dillon’s portfolio pages.
The Kids Are (Mostly) All Right
I like asking students awkward questions not to trip them up, but because their answers tell me a lot about how well they understand their own work. Have they done something with real substance to, it or is it just a pretty sculpture? The young designers here impressed me with their fully imagined creations rendered not just in pixels or 3D prints, but also within their imaginations as real vehicles in worlds they would operate in.
As you can probably tell from the images, there was a paucity of physical models on display. Professional presentation of your work and your ideas is everything, and a nice, big, well-finished model goes a long way to showing what you are capable of. I also advise new designers to make themselves available to those appreciating their work whenever possible. There were other standout projects I hoped to feature here, but the students concerned were not present to talk to even though I attended on the first day the show was open to the public. (I reached out to them for permission to cover their work here, but they did not reply in time to be included.) Leaving business cards with a font so small I had to put my reading glasses on for the first time in three years is not a substitute for being there in person, because you never know who is going to come along. It might be a tall goth designer wanker about to make you internet famous, or might just be the someone from an OEM who is going to give you a job.
Authors note: In the interest of full disclosure, I am a part-time tutor at Coventry University on the vehicle design MA.
- Nissan’s Four New Concept Cars Hint At A New Lightning Design That Reminds Me Of An Old One
- GM Sent Us Never-Before-Seen Sketches Of The Pontiac Aztek From Before It All Went So Wrong
- This Gandini Supercar Concept Was Hidden In A Shed For Years
- Here Are The Cars That Car Designers Drove To Impress Other Car Designers At A Fancy Car Design Event
I liked these a lot more than I expected to. Well done to all involved!
I liked these a lot more than I expected to. Well done to all involved!
Reading the comments about designers creating concepts too nutty to build, my take is that automobiles are too complex of a thing for designers to be expected to understand the engineering and production matters of very deeply and it’s appropriate to leave them up there in the pure air provided they retain some minimum concepts of reality (which Adrian is saying they do have to learn). There are plenty of people working closer to earth who can say what cannot or should not be built and are able to do the details for what can be.
The good engineers often aren’t so good at coming up with attractive stuff to do their engineering for.
Portfolios should have a good spread of strong work from the very conceptual to much more grounded and suitable for production.
Reading the comments about designers creating concepts too nutty to build, my take is that automobiles are too complex of a thing for designers to be expected to understand the engineering and production matters of very deeply and it’s appropriate to leave them up there in the pure air provided they retain some minimum concepts of reality (which Adrian is saying they do have to learn). There are plenty of people working closer to earth who can say what cannot or should not be built and are able to do the details for what can be.
The good engineers often aren’t so good at coming up with attractive stuff to do their engineering for.
Portfolios should have a good spread of strong work from the very conceptual to much more grounded and suitable for production.
It’s so great that you’re using your platform to elevate student work. I actually just finished my MFATD thesis at CCS. I don’t know how much traveling you have left in you on such short notice or where you are currently based out of, but you should swing by the CCS Student exhibition if you can. It’s up until May 22 and while I don’t know if I can get everybody there, I am good friends with a lot of people both in the Graduate and Undergrad. I would be happy to give you a tour of the work and arrange for some of the students to be there if you can make it here!
That would be fantastic but I’m based in the UK. Is there an online gallery?
It’s so great that you’re using your platform to elevate student work. I actually just finished my MFATD thesis at CCS. I don’t know how much traveling you have left in you on such short notice or where you are currently based out of, but you should swing by the CCS Student exhibition if you can. It’s up until May 22 and while I don’t know if I can get everybody there, I am good friends with a lot of people both in the Graduate and Undergrad. I would be happy to give you a tour of the work and arrange for some of the students to be there if you can make it here!
That would be fantastic but I’m based in the UK. Is there an online gallery?
Not intended as a critique of the students but more as a comment on where transportation is globally. But the stuff China is actually doing is more interesting and forward-looking than what these students are proposing.
I will note that the Dacia looks like a 1990s sci-fi prop and the Duesenberg, below its surfacing, adheres to proportions that make no sense as “luxury” proportions unless power is coming from a large, long ICE.
I’ve only had limited exposure to Chinese EVs in the metal, but I’m not sure I agree. I think a lot of their design (but not all) is quite generic and bland, and shows a heavy reliance on digital tricks for differentiation. They still have an occasional tendency to be ‘heavily inspired’ by existing cars as well. That being said, some of the color and trim choices being made are refreshing in their boldness.
My overall feeling within a narrow set of constraints they are trying everything and anything. There’s far too many brands, far too many new releases and it’s all a bit unfocussed at the moment to challenge markets outside of China, although that could change quickly as by most objective measures the cars themselves are on par with American and European EVs.
Not intended as a critique of the students but more as a comment on where transportation is globally. But the stuff China is actually doing is more interesting and forward-looking than what these students are proposing.
I will note that the Dacia looks like a 1990s sci-fi prop and the Duesenberg, below its surfacing, adheres to proportions that make no sense as “luxury” proportions unless power is coming from a large, long ICE.
I’ve only had limited exposure to Chinese EVs in the metal, but I’m not sure I agree. I think a lot of their design (but not all) is quite generic and bland, and shows a heavy reliance on digital tricks for differentiation. They still have an occasional tendency to be ‘heavily inspired’ by existing cars as well. That being said, some of the color and trim choices being made are refreshing in their boldness.
My overall feeling within a narrow set of constraints they are trying everything and anything. There’s far too many brands, far too many new releases and it’s all a bit unfocussed at the moment to challenge markets outside of China, although that could change quickly as by most objective measures the cars themselves are on par with American and European EVs.
One thing I’m not seeing in a lot of these is how the human fits into things. There’s space for stuff, and the shapes tend to be all about the mechanicals being wrapped in the least amount of material possible. For example, how does a human enter into the Duesenberg 100? Is it like a funnycar situation where the body flips forward? And for the BiLeisure Link, where exactly is the space separation? Having your people and your stuff in the same place never goes well in a moving object.
I think a good design prompt would be “You have four wheels. You have three doors. The third door can be either a hatch or a door. You have five seats, including a fully outfitted driver’s seat. There must be the possibility for distinct and absolute separation between human space and cargo volume built into the car itself. Aerodynamics are not to be considered, and if preferable, are to be actively worked against.”
I feel something like that would beget some more interesting designs, not unlike the wild machines like seen on the June of 1940 issue of Popular Science.
There was some detail lacking, or at least it wasn’t shown as part of the presentation. But having completed exactly the same degree years prior, they will have had to complete a detailed package drawing, in orthographic views to scale, complete with the standard SAE manekins inside and outside the vehicle. Those drawings would have to show vision angles, reach, headswing and so on. This would have been included in the final presentation and hand in which they would have been marked on. But I can understand not presenting it at the degree show, because it’s dry and tedious and doesn’t help make for a compelling display.
One thing I’m not seeing in a lot of these is how the human fits into things. There’s space for stuff, and the shapes tend to be all about the mechanicals being wrapped in the least amount of material possible. For example, how does a human enter into the Duesenberg 100? Is it like a funnycar situation where the body flips forward? And for the BiLeisure Link, where exactly is the space separation? Having your people and your stuff in the same place never goes well in a moving object.
I think a good design prompt would be “You have four wheels. You have three doors. The third door can be either a hatch or a door. You have five seats, including a fully outfitted driver’s seat. There must be the possibility for distinct and absolute separation between human space and cargo volume built into the car itself. Aerodynamics are not to be considered, and if preferable, are to be actively worked against.”
I feel something like that would beget some more interesting designs, not unlike the wild machines like seen on the June of 1940 issue of Popular Science.
There was some detail lacking, or at least it wasn’t shown as part of the presentation. But having completed exactly the same degree years prior, they will have had to complete a detailed package drawing, in orthographic views to scale, complete with the standard SAE manekins inside and outside the vehicle. Those drawings would have to show vision angles, reach, headswing and so on. This would have been included in the final presentation and hand in which they would have been marked on. But I can understand not presenting it at the degree show, because it’s dry and tedious and doesn’t help make for a compelling display.
Dillon Love’s neo-duesenberg looks suspiciously like the art deco batmobile from the 90s bruce timm’s batman the animated series. DEC178799
Dillon Love’s neo-duesenberg looks suspiciously like the art deco batmobile from the 90s bruce timm’s batman the animated series. DEC178799
Every one of these would be a great future for car design, but I like the Dacia Midway concept the best.
Every one of these would be a great future for car design, but I like the Dacia Midway concept the best.
With all respect to Diogo, what is the use case for what is essentially a self-driving motorcycle for transporting organs for transplant? What can this accomplish that is not already possible via plane, car, and/or helicopter?
Sometimes it is short range work, within the same city. Quicker by motorcycle than waiting on traffic or flight plans. In Eroupe they already have guys on motorcycles doing organ delivery. And yes, they are authorized to take the sidewalk if needed
The logistics of getting a helicopter or a place to transport organs are pretty unwieldy. Sometimes unforeseen events conspire against you:
https://www.ukemergency.co.uk/the-liver-run/
With all respect to Diogo, what is the use case for what is essentially a self-driving motorcycle for transporting organs for transplant? What can this accomplish that is not already possible via plane, car, and/or helicopter?
Sometimes it is short range work, within the same city. Quicker by motorcycle than waiting on traffic or flight plans. In Eroupe they already have guys on motorcycles doing organ delivery. And yes, they are authorized to take the sidewalk if needed
The logistics of getting a helicopter or a place to transport organs are pretty unwieldy. Sometimes unforeseen events conspire against you:
https://www.ukemergency.co.uk/the-liver-run/
Accidentally ran into either a small car show or a cars and coffee this morning, and prominently displayed was a Cybertruck. Honestly the cars here, especially the Dacia, look more like real cars than the Tesla.
How would the Cybertruck have been graded if it had been one of the student presentations?
If it came from the mechanical department? It’s probably fine.
CCS grad and car design industry worker here. The Cybertruck would get a failing grade. Literally would not have even been shown at an event like this. Assuming the professors let the student who penned it get all the way to reluctant model approval status while still looking Like That, it would have been stashed somewhere out of sight, in student-only quarters, not on display to the public, for the shame it would bring whatever institution that allowed it to happen and for the immediate blacklisting from the industry the student would have earned themselves.
Absolutely. Same at Coventry and the RCA. Would never have passed and if the student was stubborn enough to go ahead despite being advised not to the model would not be shown. I’ve seen it happen.
Accidentally ran into either a small car show or a cars and coffee this morning, and prominently displayed was a Cybertruck. Honestly the cars here, especially the Dacia, look more like real cars than the Tesla.
How would the Cybertruck have been graded if it had been one of the student presentations?
If it came from the mechanical department? It’s probably fine.
CCS grad and car design industry worker here. The Cybertruck would get a failing grade. Literally would not have even been shown at an event like this. Assuming the professors let the student who penned it get all the way to reluctant model approval status while still looking Like That, it would have been stashed somewhere out of sight, in student-only quarters, not on display to the public, for the shame it would bring whatever institution that allowed it to happen and for the immediate blacklisting from the industry the student would have earned themselves.
Absolutely. Same at Coventry and the RCA. Would never have passed and if the student was stubborn enough to go ahead despite being advised not to the model would not be shown. I’ve seen it happen.
Lots of comments on here seem mad the students didn’t create fully engineered, production ready, next generation models of existing cars, which isn’t the point of these projects, nor are they showcasing their talents to laymen like us, but to recruiters of design studios who will want to see their imagination and creativity.
As a fellow Cov Uni graduate, in automotive engineering rather than design, I loved seeing the graduate auto design exhibition each year, the ideas and imagination within the models and drawings was always astonishing and incredibly impressive to someone coldly practical and logical as I was.
Lots of comments on here seem mad the students didn’t create fully engineered, production ready, next generation models of existing cars, which isn’t the point of these projects, nor are they showcasing their talents to laymen like us, but to recruiters of design studios who will want to see their imagination and creativity.
As a fellow Cov Uni graduate, in automotive engineering rather than design, I loved seeing the graduate auto design exhibition each year, the ideas and imagination within the models and drawings was always astonishing and incredibly impressive to someone coldly practical and logical as I was.
Hey Adrian! Wanna tear apart a 25 year old car design where the students actually built a running, driving prototype? I worked on this project as a student, and one of my good friends, who was a masters student, led the design team as his thesis. He couldn’t get a job with an OEM, though. One said that after leading an entire project like that, he’d be miserable spending the next five years designing door handles.
https://www.allcarindex.com/concept/united-states/savannah-college-of-art-and-design-scad/exo-spyder
I designed the fuel filler cap on the new Defender. The door handles were already done.
Hey Adrian! Wanna tear apart a 25 year old car design where the students actually built a running, driving prototype? I worked on this project as a student, and one of my good friends, who was a masters student, led the design team as his thesis. He couldn’t get a job with an OEM, though. One said that after leading an entire project like that, he’d be miserable spending the next five years designing door handles.
https://www.allcarindex.com/concept/united-states/savannah-college-of-art-and-design-scad/exo-spyder
I designed the fuel filler cap on the new Defender. The door handles were already done.
The Dacia would look cool with twin Gatling guns fitted with lasers.
There is definitely something of the Warthog about it.
The Dacia would look cool with twin Gatling guns fitted with lasers.
There is definitely something of the Warthog about it.
Mark Wu’s project is awesome.
Very interesting project and he explained it very well.