ArtCenter launches the Ian Cameron Scholarship

In tribute to the late Ian Cameron, who died tragically in the summer of 2024, the ArtCenter College of Design in California has launched a new programme to foster young talent. 

The Ian Cameron Design Scholarship has been made possible in the first instance through a generous US$1 million donation from friend and car collector John Aycoth, with an eye to growing it further to around US$5 million in time from "those with a passion for cars and who value the tradition, innovation and elegance that defined Cameron's work."

In a statement, Aycoth noted that he felt it was "important to memorialise [Cameron's] incredible design legacy," and to foster a similar way of working both professionally and personally in the world of design. 

Although Cameron was in fact an alumnus of the Royal College of Art in London, it was the relationship with current Chair of ArtCenter’s Transportation Design program, Marek Djordjevic, which sparked the link. While working at Rolls-Royce, Djordjevic and Cameron collaborated on a number of major launches including the Phantom VII, 100EX and Drophead Coupé.

"I saw how deeply he believed in the power and purpose of good design,” commented Djordjevic. “He resisted trends in favour of enduring elegance and meaningful detail. This scholarship allows his creative philosophy to take root in our students, the next generation who will go on to shape the future of car design." 

Cameron, who retired from Rolls-Royce in 2014, ultimately led the revival of the British luxury marque with the Phantom Limousine in 2003, and before that had spent many years at BMW, credited with designing the exterior of the Z8 and E46 3 series.

Donations toward the Ian Cameron Design Scholarship are being encouraged and can be made via this link.