Transportation and Industrial Designers of TCL - students, graduates, pros, prospective students

[Entwerfer des Audis]

Whenever I post in a thread about design I forget which users have real experience in the field.

This thread is supposed to be a reference for discussion of design in the Car Lounge - I'm talking advantages and disadvantages of different schools, design by hand vs. CAD, technique, tips, portfolio review, design vs. engineering, everything.

I also want to have a running list of users who have varying levels of experience but share a passion for design, specifically as a profession. ID 'wannabes' are welcome, as well.

This is not a design appreciation thread, as much as I love those threads and know much of TCL appreciates good design. It's intended to be related to design as a career.

(sorry, Larry. )

Mods: Please keep this in TCL, as I'm looking for a focus on car design and how to become/make it as a trans designer.

So to begin, let's have each person post up a short bio and a piece from their portfolio, if possible.

My real name's Ian, and I'm a prospective trans or product student for the Fall 2009 term at Art Center (ACCD), CCS, or Academy of Art (San Francisco), graduating from high school here in Colorado this spring.

Here's a piece I did for the recent Car Lounge Design Competition (still underway, voting will begin soon):

I've named it the Volkswagen Seele. (since it was designed for TCL, of course I just had to name it the German word for soul. )

Modified by Entwerfer des Audis at 1:30 AM 12/16/2008


Modified by Entwerfer des Audis at 5:00 PM 12/16/2008

[dannyc]

hiyo, dan here, sophomore product design student at CCS. I'll post up some stuff from my portfolio when i get a chance to. Oh and one thing if you are thinking of applying to CCS, i believe they have an open admission policy so your pretty much guaranteed to be accepted. they just want your moniez

[username]

i'll bite, i don't think my identity is that much of a secret...i graduated from ccs 6 years ago with a degree in automotive design and now work at one of the big 3 as a digital (alias) sculptor, as well as design and build furniture on my own time.

i can't speak about the other schools, but if you're headed to ccs, fully commit your time to it and don't get caught up in dumb college BS, otherwise you'll get run over by the competition

sketches for my senior thesis at school, a volvo truck



Modified by username at 11:02 AM 12-16-2008

[VdubChaos]

whatever they are teaching you guys, it needs to stop. Car design has taken a BIG down spiral since about 2000.

Perhaps companies should do drug testing? I don't know.

PS. That Volvo truck lines (bed) do not match up. And big wheel thing is just horrid

[whitejeep1989]

I am an Industrial Designer. I graduated from The University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, in 1992. I also went back to college (CCS) in 1999, to study Transportation Design. Car design was actually my first interest, but my parents did not want me to do my first year of college out of state, so I chose the ID program in Philly. I had the opportunity to return to school, on my own dime, so I went to CCS in Detroit. It was a great experience, and I did well. At the end of the first semester, I decided that I did not want two undergrad degrees in the same field, so I withdrew from the program. I love cars still, but I am quite happy with the wide variety of things I get to design working in consumer goods/appliance field. I also like getting involved in manufacturing and engineering details, which did not seem like it would be an opportunity that I'd be getting in car design.

[.BRuno.]

My name is Bruno Ordones, product designer with post-grad in Automotive and Transportation design in FUMEC University - Belo Horizonte/Brazil (one of the 2-3 auto design schools in the country), currently unimployed.

I'll post just a couple pics of the 1:6 "Lotus ELO" I did for my post-grad, it's still not 100% finished as after I finished IMO I realized many things could be better (headlights, intakes on the "hood" could be cut, etc").
ELO means Link in portuguese. When it's finished I'll create a topic here in TCL.

I don't have sketches on this computer, when I get home I'll upload some

[whitejeep1989]

Quote, originally posted by VdubChaos »

whatever they are teaching you guys, it needs to stop. Car design has taken a BIG down spiral since about 2000. Perhaps companies should do drug testing? I don't know. PS. That Volvo truck lines (bed) do not match up. And big wheel thing is just horrid

It is way to easy to criticize someone or something, without putting yourself on the line. Please post something that you have done, for us to get a chance to offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

[Chmeeee]

I am a transporation engineer, but I imagine that's not what you're looking for. That said, we do all of our roadway design in CAD.

Quote, originally posted by VdubChaos »

whatever they are teaching you guys, it needs to stop. Car design has taken a BIG down spiral since about 2000. Perhaps companies should do drug testing? I don't know. PS. That Volvo truck lines (bed) do not match up. And big wheel thing is just horrid

You're really a shining beacon of light in every thread you enter. Really. If you like the 90s so much, go back there, you and your incessantly negative comments probably won't be missed.

[VdubChaos]

Quote, originally posted by username »

i mean it in the most sincere way possible when i say, suck it

Well, I will say that GM has been the least of an offender.

And knowing position you are in, I have a feeling you will be on your knees long before I will.

Quote, originally posted by Chmeeee »

I am a transporation engineer, but I imagine that's not what you're looking for. That said, we do all of our roadway design in CAD. You're really a shining beacon of light in every thread you enter. Really. If you like the 90s so much, go back there, you and your incessantly negative comments probably won't be missed.

Sorry for having an opinion. Shoot me.

Quote, originally posted by whitejeep1989 »

It is way to easy to criticize someone or something, without putting yourself on the line. Please post something that you have done, for us to get a chance to offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.

I can criticize whatever the hell I want.

So when someone says Windows is ****, will you tell them to write their own OS too?

Modified by VdubChaos at 5:41 AM 12-16-2008

[Entwerfer des Audis]

Don't get this locked guys.

[jebglx]

Quote, originally posted by VdubChaos »

I can criticize whatever the hell I want.

yes you can but this ends right now.

thanks

[atomicalex]

In to speak up for username's furniture. I have been saving up for one of his coffee tables for some time, just have to get rid of some more furniture in the living room......

[powderhound]

Cool thread. Thanks.

[TimesNewRoman]

Here's a little somethin' I did for my brother.

Honestly, though, I just wanted to say what I've seen in this thread and in some of the threads over in the Arts/Design forum is very impressive. I've always been pretty good at drawing, but I could never come up with my own designs, so big props to you guys. I love that Volvo truck. Cool beans.

[whitejeep1989]

http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/

This is one of my favorite car design resources. The have great demos, and portfolios from professionals and students. For prospective car design students, it is good to compare your drawing ability to the best on that site. If you honestly don't think that you can compete with the best, you need to work twice as hard to get to that level.

[GahannaKid]

Quote, originally posted by whitejeep1989 »

http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/ This is one of my favorite car design resources. The have great demos, and portfolios from professionals and students. For prospective car design students, it is good to compare your drawing ability to the best on that site. If you honestly don't think that you can compete with the best, you need to work twice as hard to get to that level.

I used to go visit that site rather often but then everything became members only. I'm not in the design industry so I wasn't about to fork over my money for something I'll never do .

[Boost112]

i have always wanted to become and auto deisigner or industrial designer... but instead i ended up going to architecture school... its not the same because my passion has always been and will be cars/transportaion... but i still get to design just on a much larger scale and everything is custom... if i had the same drive for design back thenas i do now, i would have been unstopable... i just didnt do enough reading... plus in florida there arent that many schools for it either... (my parents wouldnt let me go out of state for school)... but i still love cars and always will... who knows maybe i will get tired of all this construction stuff and start over....

[Stallion]

I'm in...

My name's Chris. I have a degree in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon University. I spent some time in Honda's design studio in LA and am now the Director of Design at a product design firm here in Pittsburgh. No portfolio work at the moment, but here is some VW content.

[VR6ix]

Industrial Designer here, recent-ish grad from Humber in Toronto (which does offer a transportation-design specialization stream)

I work for a packaging company, we happen to design a LOT of products for getting car parts from the supplier to the assembly line. It's not automotive design by any means, but it is related. Plus I get to see all the bits and pieces that 98% of the time get hidden when the car is assembled. Here's a hint: interior parts seem to be designed and manufactured and assembled so that it's IMPOSSIBLE to take them a part without breaking all the goofy little tabs and paper-thin support ribs, etc.

I too really hate the bloated boat-mobile aesthetics and over-regurgitated "styling cues" used on new car designs in the last decade. It's dreadfully amusing to take a handful of car pics, cover-up the badging and maybe one or two really distinct brand/styling elements, and then all the different cars look exactly the same -- same beltlines, same hood/A-pillar lines, same surfacing, etc. I have no ambitions to become a car designer as in working for a big brand name... but I think there's plenty of room for more design skills to be applied to the aftermarket. And not just Street Fighter Body Kitsch crap.

I have no portfolio example piece on hand.

See also: Core77.com for ID-related goodness and forums.

[Cormega]

Quote, originally posted by username »

i'll bite, i don't think my identity is that much of a secret... sketches for my senior thesis at school, a volvo truck

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same....however I will say I've always liked your sketch style

And I'll second what the username commented stated about ccs. Keep yourself focused, and don't pay attention to the 'star treatment' you might get after a good three month run in trans. ALL studios are very important.

[uncleho]

Quote, originally posted by VdubChaos »

whatever they are teaching you guys, it needs to stop. Car design has taken a BIG down spiral since about 2000. Perhaps companies should do drug testing? I don't know. PS. That Volvo truck lines (bed) do not match up. And big wheel thing is just horrid

I don't know about downward spiral, but the designers can probably agree with me that TODAY... the challenges (obstacles, limitations, hurdles, etc.) of DESIGN is probably at its GREATEST in history (i.e. IMHO, to produce (pen & MFR) a car of critical acclaim... especially for mass market consumption... is the ultimate achievement.).

My most hated challenge:

>That F*cking European pedestrian crash reg that demands so much crumple space between powertrain and hood! THAT ALONE has made small cars look like microvans with insane Height to Width proportions... and god knows every other aspect that it negates.

>Regulations (based more on people's irresponsibility than product validity) that make MFG/ASM so costly that it cramps the opportunities to innovate the car from/package what we have essentially known since the 1940s (i.e. Regulations driven by our prolifically litigious society.).


Modified by uncleho at 9:01 AM 12-16-2008

[uncleho]

Speaking of trucks, who originated those GMC Terra-X concepts a few years back? I always loved the industrial, yet modern and bold designs of them. And dare I say, they actually looked produceable.

I always wished GM would develop a truck platform (body actually) that replied on polymer panels to allow GMC more differentiation. I never cared for any of the Chevy-derivative GMCs of the last ~decade or more. I was hoping that Terra-theme would make it.

[dannyc]

username, i love that volvo truck, did u do a clay model? got any pics of it?

[username]

Quote, originally posted by dannyc »

username, i love that volvo truck, did u do a clay model? got any pics of it?

yes and no, or at least not any online

[saaboo]

Quote, originally posted by uncleho »

TODAY... the challenges (obstacles, limitations, hurdles, etc.) of DESIGN is probably at its GREATEST in history. Regulations (based more on people's irresponsibility than product validity) that make MFG/ASM so costly that it cramps the opportunities to innovate the car from/package what we have essentially known since the 1940s (i.e. Regulations driven by our prolifically litigious society.).

Right on the nail. Real-world safety, cost, packaging, manufacturing processes, and mechanical restrictions demand concessions in styling more than ever. For instance, the latest pedestrian safety requirements call for minimum underhood clearances. As a result, it had a huge impact on the appearance of vehicle front ends. Compare a 2nd gen Miata with the current. There are many other examples out there.

I'm an '01 CCS grad (trans). Worked in automotive for 8 years, product for 6 months. No regrets. Currently unemployed, but searching like hell to find something, even if it means moving to Mars.

And to further defend username's use of oversized wheels on what is a theme sketch...suck it

[uncleho]

Can wannabe ID people show & tell, also? I haven't the artistic skills, but I like to think I can dream as well as the next person.

I know trikes are not on most radar screens today, but I think there is a place for them in the future. I even hope to build one some day. This is the CATFISH...

Tandem seating trike with conventional small displacement ICE or hybrid or pure EV. Side pods are storage and/or fuel cell/battery. I'd like to think a mainstream auto producer could produce such a beast to BRIDGE the gap between (2) wheel and (4) wheel transportation... for emerging markets and sensible commuter transport in mature markets (i.e. The models can easily be differentiated via content/luxury/performance to suit the target market.). 100mpg maybe???

Just like the Nano is trying to bridge in cost, this could also do so (i.e. ~$5USD should be plausible in those markets, while ~$10k in mature markets).

[uncleho]

If you can build that super bike, it just might take you to Mars.

That sucker is SILLY CRAZY. I can dig it!

[vwlarry]

Ever since I was a boy I've held designers in the highest esteem, especially automotive designers. My mom and dad had to endure my design critiques of every damned car on the road as I would bloviate endlessly from the backseat. Decades later little has changed except the amount of hair on my head (less) and on my back (more) . I critique the design of cars to my wife nowadays, and my son (who shares my critical eye btw), and of course, to anyone who will listen here in the Car Lounge. I don't have the talent in me to design a stick, but man, when it comes to observing and "understanding" what I'm looking at, I'm kind of an idiot savant.

(Hey, all you designers NEED an audience. Guys like me! )

[MEIN_VW]

I should get a buddy of mine to chime in on this thread. He's currently doing his Masters in transportation design in Sweeden. I forget which school but from what he told me it's a very exclusive program. He's got some great designs. For years I've wished I had his talent.

[VR6ix]

Quote, originally posted by MEIN_VW »

I should get a buddy of mine to chime in on this thread. He's currently doing his Masters in transportation design in Sweeden. I forget which school but from what he told me it's a very exclusive program. He's got some great designs. For years I've wished I had his talent.

Umea University? One of my classmates went there/is there for transportation design...

[dannyc]

Quote, originally posted by VR6ix »

Umea University? One of my classmates went there/is there for transportation design...

thats probably it, my design sketching book that i had to get for my freshman year is by a prof. and his students from that university

[MEIN_VW]

Quote, originally posted by VR6ix »

Umea University?

Yes, that's the one.

[Blanchemont]

Quote, originally posted by atomicalex »

In to speak up for username's furniture. I have been saving up for one of his coffee tables for some time, just have to get rid of some more furniture in the living room......

I will be another to vouch for username's skills, not only for his furniture design, but for his car design skills as well. I think that Volvo looks great, keep in mind this was 6 years ago (man, has it been that long?).

Going back on topic, to Entwerfer des Audis, I STRONGLY suggest you do a lot of research before you jump into car design (like you're doing here! ). The competition and the investment is overwhelming to most.

[inspector16]

I'll jump into this one since I rarely ever post here. I graduated from CCS in '98 and worked as an automotive designer for almost 10 years, 7 of those at GM. Quit the car industry at the end of 2006 and am now working in the aviation field. I was working as a designer while still going to school, for the math literate

Got tired of all the politics involved in getting any meaningful designs on the road. From my experience, there really is little innovation coming from the automotive sector. It's not the designer's fault. It's just that until there is a major breakthrough in technology that allows for a profound and fundamental change in vehicle architecture, we're essentially going to be seeing the same proportions and form vocabularies on the road for the foreseeable future. Don't get me wrong, there is some beautiful work being done in car design studios. And there is some incredible talent in those studios. But they really are limited to what they can do. It is an incredible challenge trying to design vehicles that meet all the necessary requirements, and are still appealing to a mass audience.

I myself am glad to be out of it. But for those who want to pursue it, it is an awesome experience if you can get into it.

[Entwerfer des Audis]

Bump!