car design thread

In all seriousness, its amazing to me that there are people with that poor a grasp on design.

 

I guess somehow I didn't think it was a serious proposal.

 

Its serious in the sense that Dartz Motorz actually designs and manufactures these (not sure if you looked it up) so they think its a pretty cool design. So, someone put millions of dollars into a kindergarten level design.

 

I didn't look it up.
I'm even more shocked knowing it was a serious proposal.
Some people should have their 'styling licenses' revoked!
I don't believe I've ever seen even Freshmen design students do something that bizarre.

 

This might come close!

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Is there a car that is generally considered a great design that 'you' dont care for ?

For me its the C4 Corvette. Ive just never liked it

 

Sometimes I wonder what you would tell a design student who was passionate and hardworking, but just lacked any eye for style.

Is it a "pull yourself together" kind of thing where they can apply themselves in the right direction and learn style, or is having an eye for style an innate ability that cannot be taught?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

That's an excellent question.
There are several theories surrounding design education.
'You can't teach creativity.'
'You either have an eye for design/style or you don't.'
The education process however tends to weed out those without a sense of good design judgment. It's incumbent on the instructors to council students and help them find their own design voice. However, like any other profession, there are those that will never make it to the 'big leagues'. The music business is one of many where you might be passionate, and hardworking, but you may not have an 'ear' for making good music. Not everyone has the talent or ability to succeed in their given field. That's why the 'washout rate is around 50% at a design school.

 

Continuing/starting? the discussion of what the front fascia of an electric car should look like......no ICE under the hood, so no need for a large grille for cooling......so what should it look like?
BYTON has an interesting take on this question; not bad imho.....
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....and Holy Tesla! Hows this for a 'tablet/instrument panel/infotainment device?

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linky: https://www.designboom.com/technology/byton-mobility-experience-pebble-beach-concours-delegance-09-06-2018/?utm_source=designboom+daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BYTON+balances+technological

 

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Or, how ‘bout this from Volvo.....”a combination bedroom on wheels, mobile office, and entertainment center”. Skip the mobile office part and the “bedroom on wheels/entertainment center” part may be very popular......
Oh, and how do you think Volvo has done with the front?

 

The direct head on view is quite pleasing to me; but the 3/4 view = meh.

 

The front end of electric vehicles is still a mystery waiting for a good solution. There have been a number of solutions so far. I'm not particularly fond of Tesla's solution that looks like someone wearing a nylon over their head. But part of the problem is we are so used to seeing a 'face' on a car, when that's removed it looks 'faceless'. It looks like they forgot something. The 'face' of a car is so important in being able to identify the brand. Remove the face & it becomes anonymous. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

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The latest Vauxhall electric concept GTX has an attractive front end IMHO









and then there's this

 

Couldnt agree more. Anthropomorphizing leads to some great product design. I would hope designers working on electric cars continue to create 'faces' as those tend to be the best looking designs (IMO)

 

Might this factor signal the demise of the trendy spindle grill?

Let's not forget that GM had a similar design problem with the Corvair front end 50 years ago. They used chrome and bumpers to fill the empty canvas.

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And of course Porsche 60 years ago... did OK... still are.

 

A thoughtful article on Electrification, Design and 3 Concept cars displayed at Pebble Beach last week. From Car Design Research/Linkedin.com
New Romantic car design.

• Published on September 7, 2018

Sam Livingstone
Director at Car Design Research14 article

• 
  Three new designs that show how electrification can open doors to the heart as well as the head.
  
  Three concept cars from three premium brands announced at the same time. All super low, club-racer-like single seaters that push a message of next generation emotive electric high-performance. Designs akin perhaps to the New Romantic movement that usurped punk in the music scene forty years ago - designs that offer a more engaging and luscious interpretation of future electrified cars instead of the current electric car focus on mould breaking technical and functional design.
  
  In automotive terms California is most renowned for its custom car culture with a bandwidth from dragster to Singer. In recent years the region has made most contribution to the automotive design discipline with Tesla and other 'Car 2.0' tech-based start-ups such as the Faraday FF91, the Byton M-Byte - which in turn step from a legacy of the late nineties hybrids, the GM EV1 and some of the rarities like the Aptera; all designs pushing the boundaries of possibility with rationalist future facing approaches.
  
  But last week in Monterey at the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance we were‹ seeing a Californian design statement of a different type; one that steps from the region's uniquely high concentration of upper echelon classic cars and associated car design culture.
  
  
  From Audi is the world's lowest (1.15m) shooting-break: the PB18 e-tron Concept replete with a single seat that can move from side to side (to allow space for a passenger when not in centre-seat race mode) and large active rear spoiler that transforms the car's appearance. Arguably still the most 'punk' of all these 'New Romantic designs', but then it's also far more emotive than previous e-tron concepts.
  
  
  The Prototype 10 Concept presented at Pebble Beach is the first Infiniti design seen since Karim Habib become Executive Design Director; a more reduced and controlled design than the German cars with calm but voluptuous wrapping volumes sat within crisp straight boundary lines running on x, y, and z axis's — and exquisite metal fluting within its apertures. Fleek, but with substance too.
  
  
  Mercedes Benz with the Vision EQ Silver Arrow Concept is perhaps the most explicitly 'New Romantic' design in the way it pays homage to the 1937 W125 record breaker car and pushes an idea of 'Progressive Luxury' within its broader 'Sensual Purity' design strategy. Rose gold wheel spokes, extensive use of non-functional lighting, and the micro-graphic of three-pointed star on the tyres and seat leather fits with the post punk, post first-generation of electric car concepts.
  
  These three designs all show how electrification can open doors to the heart as well as the head; they are unashamedly about emotively engaging with the car community. And maybe this makes them 'New Romantic' designs...
  
  

 

Pininfarina is opening a design studio in California.
http://autodesignmagazine.com/en/2018/09/pininfarina-opens-a-new-design-center-in-california/

Pininfarina announced that it will be strengthening its strategic presence in the American market with the start of activities at the new design center in Los Angeles. The new offices have been set up with the aim of growing Pininfarina’s market share and brand recognition in North America. And they are instrumental in guaranteeing design services business in all sectors. The Californian design center is part of Miami-based Pininfarina of America, that has been working for five years on the development of projects in Industrial and Interior Design, Architecture, Consumer Goods and Electronics, and Transportation. “California”, explained Angori, “is becoming the hub of all innovation in the automotive and industrial design sectors, with a high concentration of start-ups, leading-edge entrepreneurs, pilot projects and investors who support, for example, the gold mine that is the autonomous driving. It’s the place to be because Pininfarina has always ridden the wave of change and anticipated future trends. That’s where Pininfarina can grow exponentially, by offering the best design solutions for the automotive and transportation industries, as well as product design and architecture”.

 

As a frivolous aside, is it a prerequisite for the modern European car designer to wear funky frames?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Yes, along with the ubiquitous ‘car designer scarf’

 

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Is it cold in design studios or is it supposed to be an artistic informal substitution for a tie?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

I wish I knew the answer. Typically this is a European phenomenon. But lately I've noticed some American designers with this affectation.