All Design Essays articles
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ArticleHow does marketing influence car design?
Car Design News investigates how departments beyond the studio influence the final design of a vehicle. This time, it is not engineering, but marketing and product planning under the microscope
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ArticleTyre design: the perfect balance of form and function
Car Design News investigates the principles of tyre design and what room for innovation remains
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ArticleArtificial intelligence and the car designer of the future
CDN’s Karl Smith asks if artificial intelligence is the existential threat to car design we think it is
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WebinarReinventing Luxury with Chris Bangle
At the recent Pratt Institute Design Symposium 2021 on Re-Inventing Luxury held at the Whitney Museum in New York City, car designer and thinker Chris Bangle shared his thoughts on creating a new narrative around luxury design. Car Design News publishes his talk here
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ArticleAn interview with Karl Smith, author of Brave New Car
A new publication by longtime Car Design News contributor Karl Smith looks at the future of the car, examining how electrification, autonomy, fresh ideas around luxury, interior concepts can offer a way out of the current cul de sac we find ourselves in
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ArticleComment: Too much minimalism?
Everyone is a minimalist these days, but beyond being a handy catch-all for pared back aesthetics, what does the term mean for car design? Are designers sacrificing ornament at the altar of functionality as embodied by touchscreens?
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ArticleDesign Essay: how adversity shapes cars
The changing face of car design through difficult times is in fact a prime example of humanity’s remarkable adaptability and resilience – not to mention our collective mood.
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ArticleAre ’quadri-mobiles' the future of small cars?
Over the last ten to fifteen years, a combination of more rigorous regulatory demands and increasing customer expectations conspired to create the finest superminis ever made. One look at cars like the Volkswagen Up or the latest Hyundai i10 is enough to realise that buyers of entry-level models never had it so good
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ArticleDesign Essay: Surprise & delight, the importance of detail design
What makes people fall in love with cars? Aidan Walsh argues that small details in design cement long-term love affairs with vehicles
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ArticleDesign Essay: Big Screen, Big Problem?
Integrating screens in car interiors comes with a set of significant problems, from aesthetic decisions to considering the life-cycle of the vehicle. You could argue that how screens are handled within the instrument panel highlights many of the wider creative challenges of mobility design
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ArticleJukeboxes: the unlikely automotive influence
A look at the connection between mid-century American cars and jukeboxes
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ArticleDesign Essay: Is still possible to draw in Italian?
Designer and writer Matteo Licata takes a brief look back at the history of Italian car design and asks if the same emotion can be replicated today
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ArticleDesign Essay: Why is Car Design so Hooked on the Past?
Retro car designs have been appearing throughout the 21st century so far… but why are they so popular?
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ArticleDesign Essay: The Strange Allure of Ugliness
Are tastes changing, or is taste simply disappearing? We try not to cover our eyes…
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ArticleDesign Essay: Could the Electric Revolution save the Sports Car?
Could the flexibility, modularity and lower production costs of electric vehicle platforms be the sports car’s unlikely saviour?
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ArticleThe Timeless Relevance of Syd Mead
A retrospective on one of the most distinctive and inspirational designers we’ve ever seen.
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ArticleThe Lasting Appeal of Syd Mead’s Turn-X Gundam
With the recent announcement the Syd Mead is winding down his design activities for good, we’ve found ourselves reflecting once more upon the famed visual futurist’s incomparable career, such as ths Turn-X Gundam fight-suit design
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ArticleBook review: Design between the lines
Patrick Le Quément is a seminal designer who has worked at Simca, Ford, VW and Renault. This collection of essays is a tour de force through the design world of half a century and should be essential reading for anyone interested in design.
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ArticleHow to be a car designer Pt5: The (job) interview
Professional car designer and transportation design teacher Luciano Bove offers aspiring car designers advice on how to make a career out of car design and get into a university which teaches transportation design. This series of articles is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a professional car designer. In this article we look at preparing for the job interview
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ArticleHow to be a car designer Pt4: Your portfolio
Professional Car Designer and transportation design teacher Luciano Bove offers aspiring car designers advice on how to make a career out of car design and get into a university which teaches transportation design. This series of articles is a must-read for anyone who wants to become a professional car designer. In this feature we examine the art of building a strong automotive design portfolio