Opinion: Secret design sauce comes from expert artistry

The role of the designer, be it working on buildings or boats, planes or cars, is shrowded in mystery. Design is considered a complex and indescribable act – the secret sauce used to bring things to life, an untameable and unknowable beast. As a result, the meticulous work that goes into car design can easily be overlooked.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the language that surrounds the discipline. We often use words like ”emotional”, “soulful” and “pure” to describe vehicle designs, but would we ever use these to talk about engineering, for example? Absolutely not. For some reason, good design must be done with “feeling”, and therefore these emotive and intangible words are consistently present.

Leaders of design teams constantly talk about their philosophies and languages. Often two or three words, these little quips are meant to epitomise an overarching set of rules that determine the work of each team member. Hyundai describes it as “Sensuous Sportiness”. For Mazda, its “Soul of Motion”. A recent, and arguably most baffling addition to these specific examples, has come from Honda: “Simplicity and something”. Read these slogans while simultaneously examining the cars that they are meant to describe, and it quickly becomes clear that the terms are complete waffle, likely dreamt up during a marketing meeting with the goal of adding to mystery and allurement.

Another factor in creating this magical aura that surrounds car design is the fact that the places in which the work is carried out are usually off limits. I have been lucky enough to step foot inside a handful of design studios, but these aren’t places that can be accessed easily, and visits are typically agreed upon after phones are left in lockers and non-disclosure agreements are signed. But, even after all the revelant parties reluctantly nod their heads and grant admission, there are always areas of the studio that are “out of bounds” due to ”highly confidential on-going projects.” The secrecy is palpable.

Yes, IP is vitally important, and it is somewhat nice to keep a few surprises even from the goggling eyes of a journalist. But the press are given “teaser” images of cars before they are launched in order to generate a buzz, and these typically leave nothing to the imagination. It may not be the car itself that is under wraps, but the understanding of what a designer really does, the ins and outs of each and every process. The magic. In lacking this understanding, we are unable to truly respect and celebrate the extremely difficult and complex work that these people do.

Car Design News has been reporting on the work of vehicle designers since 1999, and today, with an array of different platforms at our disposal allowing us to document this work in multiple forms, we have never been closer to the source. From podcasts to livestreams, quickfire news pieces to bespoke publications, the breadth and form of insight is far reaching. And while several companies have jumped at the opportunity to take our audience inside their design studios during our series of Car Design Dialogues events and shine a light on the talent of their design teams, when the camera is turned off and the event finishes, the mystery and wonder returns.

This piece was written following a conversation I had with Sasha Selipanov, head of design at Koenigsegg. Sitting comfortably back in his chair wearing a black cap and accompanying TOOL tee-shirt, he voiced his confusion at this idea that design is magic. His approach, he said, is one that involves “No BS. What you see is what you get.” A refreshing statement, and one that is typical of a young and extremely talented designer at the top of his game.