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Envisioning the Open Road: Automotive Designers Creating the Cars of Today & Tomorrow

By Damian McKnight
Designschools.com Contributing Writer

It can be argued that no design career is sexier than that of the Automotive Designer. Today’s designers embody the styles and culture of today while contouring the style of tomorrow. They utilize product design principles and emerging technology to create commercial, yet innovative, designs for new automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. Often working in tandom with a large team of engineers, designers work to ensure that their concepts are appealing to consumers, can actually lead to functioning automobiles, and are environmentally friendly and affordable. Not to mention…..sexy.

History

In the United States, automotive design reached a critical juncture in 1924 when the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To maintain sales, General Motors pioneer Alfred P. Sloan Jr. suggested annual model-year design changes in the hope that car owners would want to buy a new replacement each year. His strategy succeeded and was later adapted by rest of the industry.

The most celebrated American auto designer is probably Harley Earl,who brought the tailfin and other aeronautical design references to auto design in the 1950s. Earl is joined among legendary auto designers by Gordon Buehrig, responsible for the Auburn 851 and iconic Cord 810 and 812. Another notable designer who had a markedly different style was Chrysler group’s designer Virgil Exner, an early pioneer of Cab forward (a.k.a.Forward look) design in mid-1950s. Exner is also credited with introducing the pointed tail fins in the 1956 Plymouth Belvedere later adapted by all other Detroit studios.

The Work

The tasks of a car design team are usually split into three main aspects: exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design. Graphic design is also an important aspect of automotive design; this is generally shared amongst the design team as the lead designer sees fit. Design focuses not only on the isolated outer shape of automobile parts, but concentrates on the combination of form and function, starting from the vehicle package. Here is a breakdown of the design elements:

Exterior Design: The stylist responsible for the design of the exterior of the vehicle is the one who develops the proportions, shape, and surfaces of the vehicle. Exterior design is first done by a series of digital or manual drawings, and clay (industrial plasticine) models are developed from those drawings. 3 and 5 CNC Milling Machines are utilized in creating the clay model of the final design.Even in modern times with 3d software and virtual models on powerwalls, the clay model is still the most important tool in evaluating the design of a car and therefore used throughout the industry. The data from these models are then used to create a further mockups of the final design.
Interior Design: The stylist responsible for the interior design of the vehicle develops the proportions, shape, placement, and surfaces for the instrument panel, seats, door trim panels, headliner, pillar trims, etc. With the interior, the emphasis is on ergonomics and the ultimate comfort of the passengers. The design process with the interior design of the car is the same as with exterior design (sketch, digital model and clay model).The aesthetic value of the interior will need to correspond to ergonomic functionality and utility features as well. In particular, vehicular electronic components and parts will give more challenges to automotive designers who are required to update designs based on the latest information and knowledge associated with emerging vehicular gadgetry, particularly dashtop mobile devices, like GPS navigation, satellite radio, HD radio, mobile TV, MP3 players, video playback and smartphone interfaces.
Color and Trim Design: The color and trim (or color and materials) designer is responsible for the research, design, and development of all interior and exterior colors and materials used on a vehicle. These include paints, plastics, fabric designs, leather, grains, carpet, headliner, wood trim, and so on. Designers work closely with the exterior and interior designers and draw inspiration from other design disciplines such as: industrial design, fashion, home furnishing, architecture and sometimes product design.
Graphic Design: The design team also develop graphics for items such as: badges, decals, dials, switches, kick or tread strips, liveries. Concept sketching
Clay modeling
Class A surfaces
Scale model creation
Prototype development
Computer-aided design
Computer modeling
Powertrain engineering
Manufacturing process design

The Development Process

Includes the following steps:

Education

Automotive design is practiced by designers who have art backgrounds and degrees in industrial design or transportation design. Careers related to Auto Design include product design, automotive engineering, and electrical engineering. Successful designers need to be creative and should have strong math, drawing, and science skills. They must also have strong skills in computer-aided draftingand communication.

Since Automotive Design is a very competitive field, a high level of academic achievement is beneficial when looking for an entry-level job. Courses such as industrial design, electrical engineering, mathematics, environmental science and computer-aided drafting are often required for designers looking to break into the industry. An automotive engineering degree program can provide simulation training and hands-on experience in the field. An internship or work study program is often a necessary component of many automotive engineering colleges, and this can provide immediate job placement after graduation.

The following schools of higher education are recommended:

Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA
The Art Institutes
College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI
Humber College Toronto, Canada
Lawrence Technological University Southfield, MI
Pratt Institute New York, NY
Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta, GA
University of Cincinnati – School of Design Cincinnati, OH

Outlook

Despite the stagnant growth of the automotive manufacturing industry, careers in automotive design is still projected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014. There is still a high demand for skilled engineers who specialize in technology and computer-aided processes and a focus on an increasing fuel-efficient economy offer valuable opportunities for a successful automotive engineering career.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that starting offers averaged $48,585 for those with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. However, salaries for car designers varies greatly depending on experience, employer and location.

Article also available at http://www.designschools.com/careers-jobs/automotive-designer.html

Today’s automotive electronics engineers are quite actively exploring new worlds when it comes to the exciting world of In-Car Entertainment. High-tech suppliers refer to this new realm as Auto Space, and there can be no doubt that we’ve come a long way from the days when our only consumer entertainment choices were AM/FM radios and 8-track players.

It’s not a stretch to imagine that the best entertainment spot in your house may be the four-wheel vehicle parked in your garage. Thanks to improved audio-visual technologies and amazingly sophisticated entertainment tastes, our primary transportation mode has become a mobile concert hall, and if you have kids, they’ve recreated a mobile video arcade or theater in the rear of the vehicle.

We live in a technologically advanced time that is witness to the development and invention of many products that would have been hard to fathom only 10 years ago. Today, consumer choices for In-Car Entertainment are growing in quality and sophistication. Whatever your driving habits, passengers, entertainment preferences or budget, there is a growing range of in-car products to turn driving into a vibrant, enveloping entertainment experience.

With popular TV shows dedicated to automobile restoration and customization, In-Car Entertainment systems have received considerable attention. Thanks to reduced costs of devices such as LCD screen/monitors and the cost efficiency to the consumer of the converging media playable technologies (single hardware units are capable of playing CD, MP3, WMA and DVD), In-Car Entertainment is within reach of a larger base of consumers.

It was in the 1930s when radios were first placed inside automobiles. It goes without saying that we’ve come a long way. The first car radios have evolved through the years to include FM radio, to a cassette player, to CD players and beyond. New technology has enabled vehicle audiophiles to take advantage of MP3 technology and USB devices. Why just grab a few CDs when nowadays you can bring your entire music collection on the road with a flash drive that plugs into your car audio system via a USB connection. Many in-car audio systems now come with MP3 player connectivity so you can attach and play your music directly from a MP3 player through the car speakers.

And speaking of speakers, the technology available in your vehicle is every bit as robust as what you have in your home, but unlike a typical family room, a vehicle provides a great listening environment, with its defined space and fixed seating arrangements. Improving the quality of your in-car audio experience can be as simple or as complex as you decide to make it. One of the more popular listening experiences is provided by state-of-the-art 5.1-channel surround format, which includes five full-range channels (left, center, right, left surround, right surround) plus a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel experienced in the cinema, DVDs, digital television (HDTV and SDTV) and games. Or maybe you aren’t interested in driving a four-wheel video arcade or movie theater, and you’d rather that everyone in the car be able to enjoy CDs or radio music (FM or satellite) with the richness and fullness of surround sound. Of course, you’ll have full capability to accomplish that objective with the latest and greatest in sound technology available in your automobile.

When it comes to video options, many automotive consumers who drive an SUV, crossover or minivan are accompanied by a child or two or three in the rear seats. In this case, a rear-seat entertainment system with a DVD player and/or a game console might be ideal. LCD screens can be placed in the dashboard, in overhead consoles and in the back of headrests. If you’d rather not share the sound of the 18th consecutive showing of the latest children’s DVD, infrared headphones allow families to enjoy long journeys where the children can play games and/or watch DVDs in the back of the car while the driver can listen to traditional sounds – radio, CDs or MP3s.

Up until now, automakers introduced In-Car Entertainment technologies only after they had been tested and adopted in the consumer market. Not anymore. Today’s customers expect immediate access in their cars to the new features available in home- and portable-entertainment devices. And as the cost of automotive electronics continues to fall, the pervasiveness of additional electronic technologies, such as navigation and advanced telematics, will increase so rapidly that they will soon be standard features in most vehicles.

Delphi Corporation is poised to apply its expertise and know-how to provide vehicle manufacturers and consumers with in-vehicle entertainment and connectivity. To learn more about Delphi Corporation, please visit http://www.delphi.com/4connected.