Tag: design essays

Activism, OEMs and Car Design

From the 1968 student riots to protests over the Iraq war, ‘activism’ has always been with us, but more recently it’s become a standout cultural phenomenon. Why is this and how does it affect OEMs and car design?

Watch: Brook Banham, co-founder of Middlecott Sketchbattle

Detroit’s well-known automotive design competition returned for 2025 with the challenge of envisioning rugged mobility for 2040. Against the clock, designers pushed their skills to the limits

Watch on demand: Panel discussion - The future of German automotive design

Watch on demand our virtual live panel discussion ”The future of German automotive design: a new era in innovation and sustainability”, broadcast from Munich, where we explored the challenges of balancing heritage with the demands of modern mobility, the impact of sustainability on design ethos, and the increasing role of collaboration with suppliers to drive innovation.

Register now: Be safe, be seen: the future of automotive lighting

Join us for an exclusive livestream exploring the evolving role of automotive lighting in a world of increasing complexity. Lighting isn’t just about safety anymore—it’s all about branding and user experience. In this session, we’ll explore cool new technologies, how lighting laws are changing things, and how lighting helps shape a car’s identity. Think illuminated logos, dynamic light patterns, and how lighting can make a car feel more emotional and functional at the same time.

Register now: Master of none: how to create agile muti-skilled design teams

Join us for an exclusive livestream exploring the evolving dynamics of automotive design teams. As design roles shift, it’s all about creativity, flexibility, and standing out. This session is all about building versatile teams, encouraging innovation, and attracting top talent. We’ll chat about what makes a great design leader, how to take smart risks, and ways to give teams the freedom to thrive in a competitive world.

Watch now: How to prepare for the AI-future in Automotive Design

A is for…a comprehensive glossary of automotive design terms

Need to know your Bone line from your tumblehome? Car Design News presents an exhaustive and detailed glossary of car design terms

Watch now: Enabling creative innovation in the design studio

Underpromising and overdelivering in the age of the software-defined vehicle

In an era in which mainstream brands like Audi, Volkswagen and Tesla as well as start-ups such as Fisker, are asking customers to put their faith in an entirely new technology, maybe OEMs are better off underpromising and overdelivering, writes Drew Smith

In praise of pushbuttons (and other physical controls)

Buttons are making a slight return thanks to revised guidance from Euro NCAP. Drew Smith considers what we lost in the move to screens, and what we might gain from the new rules

Opinion: The UX pain of EV rental

By adding EVs to rental fleets without perfecting the end-to-end experience, brands which claim to be customer-focused have squandered an opportunity to build customer acceptance, writes Drew Smith

‘In the race to be “cool”, quality and coherence are being left behind’

CES 2024 demonstrated that established OEMs like Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes are still asking the wrong questions when it comes to user experience, writes Drew Smith

Watch: More than just a new coat of paint - Alias 2024

Asia winner announced – Magna 2022 Global Bold Perspective Award

Designers were tasked with producing innovative visions for future mobility in the year 2035. This year’s Asia winner proposes a flying car that serves as its own living space and nature retreat vehicle

Watch: What’s next for the sports car?

Watch this livestream where we explore the future of the sports car through the lens of styling, technology, lighting, UX and sustainability

Polestar kicks off third annual design contest

Now in its third year, Polestar’s 2022 annual design contest will be about challenging the modern perception of ‘performance’

Watch: Back to the Future of Interiors

Watch this Car Design News livestream featuring General Motors, Group Lotus and Lawrence Technological University as they reflect on changing interiors over the last 20 years and as they look ahead to the next 20.

The design process gets a thorough examination in the latest Konzepthaus report

This latest report from Konzepthaus Design Study (KDS) focuses on the design process, including digitalisation and AI.

Peter Schreyer appointed as Hyundai Motor Group’s executive design advisor

The designer credited with revolutionising Kia and Hyundai design, Peter Schreyer, has been appointed as executive design advisor and brand ambassador

Watch: Inside Toyota’s bustling ED2 studio

Ian Cartabiano, Toyota ED2’s president, takes us behind the scenes of the design studio in the south of France and provides a review of the Aygo X Prologue

Coventry University graduate MA work 2020

It has been a difficult year for students, but, as this work proves, they are adapting to the new conditions by using CAD rather than clay for final projects

Winners of Car Design Awards China 2020 announced, virtually

We weren’t in Beijing in person, instead we brought everyone together virtually to award and celebrate our 2020 Car Design Awards China students

Polestar launches annual design competition

Polestar is looking for talent and supporting designers

CDN’s livestream about virtual automotive design teaching

Join CDN for an exclusive livestream about virtual teaching for automotive design students. The Royal College of Art’s Dale Harrow and Chris Thorpe will be presenting alongside guest speaker, and RCA alumnus Carl Gotham, Advanced Design Director, SAIC London.

Frank Stephenson on the Ferrari F430

How design gave the 430 a bit more bite than the Ferrari 360, and became a little bit more unfriendly

Frank Stephenson on the new Mini project

Designing the new Mini based on the original design, balancing the need for both brand recognition and modernisation

Inktank Academy tutorial on creating reflections with markers and charcoal

’Don’t think in lines, you have to think in surfaces’

Jukeboxes: the unlikely automotive influence

From art-deco arches to chrome-edged tailfins – and as for the cars…

Magna Global Bold Perspective Award winner announced

The winner of Magna’s Global Bold Perspective competition has been announced at LA Auto Show

The Lasting Appeal of Syd Mead’s Turn-X Gundam

A short look at a long-lasting anime icon by the Visual Futurist

Who’s Where: Juho Suh moves from NIO to Hyundai

Suh’s recent experience of designing performance EVs at NIO could come in handy at Hyundai

How to be a car designer Pt7: Just got hired, the adventure begins…

How to survive your first few weeks as a professional car designer

How to be a car designer part 6: The internship

You have bagged an internship in a car design studio. Now you need to make the most of it

How to be a car designer Pt5: The (job) interview

You’ve created a great portfolio, now the big interview awaits

How to be a car designer Pt4: Your portfolio

For an aspiring car designer, having a strong portfolio is 50 percent of getting hired

How to be a car designer part 3: Going to design school

Making the most of your time at design school, from smart planning to your final portfolio

How to be a car designer part 2: Starting design school

Luciano Bove explains how to apply for design school, and ensure that your portfolio stands out from the crowd

How to be a car designer Part 1: Turning passion into a profession

ArtCenter graduate Luciano Bove offers expert advice on how to achieve your dream career in car design

Michelin’s Challenge Design winners announced

The theme of this year’s challenge was ‘Inspiring Mobility’, which looked for ideas about how to put emotion and human interaction into focus in the mega cities of 2035

New book - Designing Car Interiors

A must read for aspiring automotive designers

Car Design Essentials Part 3: Graphics

In the last part of our Car Design Essentials series, we look at how to place faces and lines atop your muscles

Car Design Essentials Part 2: Muscles

Having established the bones, it’s time to add the muscles to your car. Carefully…

Car Design Essentials Part 1: Bones

Designing a car breaks down into three steps, ’Bones, Muscles and Graphics’. Over the course of three articles we will introduce these steps and explain the components of each element that builds into a complete set of principles