Volvo on People Awards win and lighting design

At the inaugural People Awards in 2022, it was Skoda that took home the award for best lighting design team. Head of that department, Petr Nevrela, spoke with us shortly after about how it had impacted the team moving forward, raising their profile not only within the company but also within the industry itself.

In 2023, the honours went to Volvo’s lighting design team, whose submission was described by the judges as “astonishing” – with what we assume is an unashamed pun in that the team is “lighting the way forward.”

Ahead of this year’s awards in December, we caught up with Örjan Sterner, Marcus Nilsson and Ole-Kristian Bjerke to see how they approach exterior lighting design and what the recognition meant for them as a team.

Car Design News: Congratulations again on the award. How do you see the role of exterior lighting in the overall design process – it seems to be far more important of late.

VC: Historically, the grille and lamps have been crucial elements in defining a car’s expression and identity. However, in the era of electric vehicles (EVs), the traditional grille has lost relevance. Volvo adheres to its Scandinavian design philosophy, where form follows function, so in this context, the lighting signature has assumed an even more significant role.

The iconic Thor’s hammer and vertical taillamp signature have become strong identifiers for Volvo, providing a unique presence while preserving Scandinavian heritage.

CDN: Lighting is a safety feature at heart, but it also needs to be recognisable, unique and attractive to the eye. How do you ensure there is a balance between form and function?

VC: Balancing form and function is indeed crucial. Safety can never be compromised in a Volvo. For the Thor’s Hammer signature, the initial idea was to express a clear hammer graphic both during the day and nighttime while simultaneously ensuring class-leading lighting performance.

For the XC90, we aimed for a robust, confident hammer design. Ideally, the lens outline should follow and support the overall hammer contour. Simultaneously, we needed to secure the right proportions for the entire front end, avoiding any additional unwanted height and visual mass.

The question we posed to ourselves was: how can we achieve a strong visual expression while maintaining the best lighting performance for our flagship vehicle?

In our current cars, the high and low beam modules are positioned above and below the horizontal part of the hammer. The light cones of the modules needed to remain clear of surrounding elements, requiring a specific area without interruptions. However, a dilemma arose; the thickness of the horizontal part of the hammer dictated the size of the lens outline.

We aimed to find solutions to resolve these conflicting demands. After numerous discussions and workshops internally at Volvo Design and with Volvo Engineering, we came up with the bold idea of placing the modules behind the horizontal part of the hammer. By doing so, we could achieve a slimmer lens outline in the horizontal hammer area, while also enabling a hammer contour for the lens.

The next question was: how can we make the high and low beam modules work if they are behind the horizontal hammer? Team discussions, workshops, traditional 2D sketching, 3D modelling, and even Techno LEGO models helped us move forward in the ideation process, testing different ideas and exploring unknown solutions.

Simultaneously, we contemplated how to give a car its identity, soul or personality without the traditional grille. We considered the fascination humans have for animation and motion and how light and motion, when combined, can have an emotional, poetic aspect. The tension between digital lighting and physical, mechanical motion inside the lamp could be something extraordinary, creating true magic. This led to the idea of splitting the hammer into two horizontal parts and opening them up like eyelids, exposing the low and high beam modules.

The EX90 is our first car with a segmented hammer. The segmentation imparts a digital expression, indicating that it is an electric car. This segmentation is also visible in the vertical part of the signature in the rear lamp, playing a crucial role in the start-up sequence. When you approach and unlock the vehicle, a start-up animation plays, and the car wakes up. Conversely, when you park the car and leave, an animation plays, and the car goes to sleep.

CDN: How does the lighting team work in parallel with the wider exteriors team – is it a case of collaboration from day one?

VC: The exterior designers are involved slightly earlier and play a crucial role in defining the car alongside the programme. Once a theme is selected, the broader team becomes engaged.

The initial task of the lighting designer is to comprehend the concept of the car and how exterior lighting can complement this vision. The lighting signature is a crucial component of the overall exterior expression, and the technology and performance of the lighting serve as important safety features for the user. Both aspects require development and refinement in conjunction with the overall car design. This is why lighting designers are essential members of the core design team.

CDN: Where does the lighting team draw inspiration from?

VC: We have a rich history at Volvo and, sometimes, reflecting on the past can inspire creativity and new solutions, especially when combined with advanced technology. The Thor’s Hammer concept originated from the outer position light of the Volvo 240, which later transformed into the head of the hammer.

CDN: Tell us about the significance of winning at the People Awards – being recognised by your peers as the best lighting design team.

VC: It is gratifying to have our achievements acknowledged. As everyone involved in lighting design knows, creating a lamp for a concept car is one thing, but successfully implementing it in a production car is a significantly different and more extensive task. There are numerous factors to consider, such as legal requirements, light values, homogeneity, power consumption, weight, tight packaging, heat and more.

With all these considerations in mind, we are exceptionally pleased and proud of the results and how the entire team has successfully translated this concept into production.