Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. Ergonomics is the Scientific discipline concerned with Designing according to the human needs and the profession that applies theory principles data and methods This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. MotorCycle is the title of a 1993 album by Rock band Daniel Amos, released on BAI Records. This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. In British English and Australian English, the term coach is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers A van is a kind of vehicle used for Transporting goods or groups of people The functional design and development of a modern motor vehicle is typically done by a large team from many different disciplines included in automotive engineers. Modern automotive engineering is a branch of Vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software Automotive design in this context is primarily concerned with developing the visual appearance or aesthetics of the vehicle, though it is also involved in the creation of the product concept. Automotive design is practiced by designers who usually have an art background and a degree in industrial design or transportation design. Industrial design is an Applied art whereby the Aesthetics and Usability of mass-produced products may be improved for marketability and
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Design elements
The task of the design team is usually split into three main aspects: Exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design. A trim package is an Automotive package composed by a set of cosmetic (mostly non-functional Embellishments to a Vehicle. Graphic design is also an aspect of automotive design; this is generally shared amongst the design team as the lead designer sees fit. The term graphic design can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation Design focuses not only on the isolated outer shape of automobile parts, but concentrates on the combination of form and function, starting from the vehicle package.
The aesthetic value will need to correspond to ergonomic functionality and utility features as well. In particular, vehicular electronic components and parts will give more challenges to automotive designers who are required to update on the latest information and knowledge associated with emerging vehicular gadgetry, particularly dashtop mobile devices, like GPS navigation, satellite radio, HD radio, mobile TV, MP3 players, video playback and smartphone interfaces. Dashtop mobile equipment collectively refers to wireless mobile devices mounted on the vehicle dashboards A satellite radio or subscription radio (SR is a Digital radio signal that is broadcast by a Communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical HD Radio is the name used by iBiquity for a system of digital transmission for audio broadcast stations Though not all the new vehicular gadgets are to be designated as factory standard items, but some of them may be integral to determining the future course of any specific vehicular models.
Exterior design (styling)
The stylist responsible for the design of the exterior of the vehicle develops the proportions, shape, and surfaces of the vehicle. Exterior design is first done by a series of digital or manual drawings. Progressively more detailed drawings are executed and approved. Clay (industrial plasticine) and or digital models are developed from, and along with the drawings. Clay or industrial plasticine is a modelling material which is mainly used by Automotive design studios The data from these models are then used to create a full sized mock-up of the final design (body in white). Body in White or BIW refers to the stage in Automotive design or automobile manufacturing in which the car body sheet metal (including doors hoods and With 3 and 5 axis CNC Milling Machines, the clay model is first designed in a computer program and then "carved" using the machine and large amounts of clay. Clay modeling (or clay model making for Automobile Prototypes was first introduced in the 1930s by automobile designer Harley Earl, head of the General Even in times of high-class 3d software and virtual models on powerwalls the clay model is still the most important tool to evaluate the design of a car and therefore used throughout the industry.
Interior design (styling)
The stylist responsible for the design of the vehicle interior develops the proportions, shape, placement, and surfaces for the instrument panel, seats, door trim panels, headliner, pillar trims, etc. Here the emphasis is on ergonomics and the comfort of the passengers. The procedure here is the same as with exterior design (sketch, digital model and clay model).
Color and trim design
The color and trim (or color and materials) designer is responsible for the research, design, and development of all interior and exterior colors and materials used on a vehicle. These include paints, plastics, fabric designs, leather, grains, carpet, headliner, wood trim, and so on. Paint is any Liquid, liquifiable or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque Solid Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process A carpet is any loom-woven felted textile or grass floor covering Color, contrast, texture, and pattern must be carefully combined to give the vehicle a unique interior environment experience. Texture refers to the properties held and sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch. Designers work closely with the exterior and interior designers.
Designers draw inspiration from other design disciplines such as: industrial design, fashion, home furnishing, and architecture. Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Specific research is done into global trends to design for projects two to three model years in the future. The model year of a product is a number used to describe approximately when a product was produced Trend boards are created from this research in order to keep track of design influences as they relate to the automotive industry. The designer then uses this information to develop themes and concepts which are then further refined and tested on the vehicle models.
Graphic design
The design team also develop graphics for items such as: badges, decals, dials, switches, kick or tread strips, liveries, flames, racing stripes, etc.
History of automobile design in the US
In the USA, automotive design reached a turning point in 1924 when the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To maintain unit sales, General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan Jr. devised annual model-year design changes to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new replacement each year. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr ( May 23, 1875 – February 17, 1966) was a long-time President and Chairman of General Critics called his strategy planned obsolescence. Planned obsolescence (also built-in obsolescence The purpose of planned obsolescence is to hide the real cost per use from the consumer and charge a higher price than they would Sloan preferred the term "dynamic obsolescence". This strategy had far-reaching effects on the auto business, the field of product design, and eventually the American economy. The smaller players could not maintain the pace and expense of yearly re-styling. Henry Ford did not like the model-year change because he clung to an engineer's notions of simplicity, economics of scale, and design integrity. Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of GM surpassed Ford's sales in 1931 and became the dominant player in the industry thereafter. The frequent design changes also made it necessary to use a body-on-frame rather than the lighter, but less flexible monocoque design used by most European car makers. Body-on-frame is an Automobile construction technology Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame which supports the Drivetrain was the original method of building Monocoque, from the French for single ( mono) and shell ( coque) is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external
Another turning point came in 1935, when automotive engineers abruptly dropped aerodynamic research after discovering, among other problems, aerodynamics would tend to produce one single optimal exterior shape. This would be bad for unit sales, and for GM it would obviously work against their new strategy of market differentiation. Style and engineering went their separate ways, and all body shapes underwent cosmetic changes every year, whether or not the underlying automobile had changed.
Since 1935 automotive form has been driven more by consumer expectations than by engineering improvement. Form still follows function, but the primary function of the car was to get itself sold.
The most famous American auto stylist is probably Harley Earl, who brought the tailfin and other aeronautical design references to auto design in the 1950s. Harley J Earl ( November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an automotive stylist and engineer and industrial designer For the tail fin of an aircraft see Vertical stabilizer. The tailfin era of Automobile styling encompassed the 1950s The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive He is joined among legendary designers by Gordon Buehrig, responsible for the Auburn 851 and iconic Cord 810 and 812 (hence also the Hupmobile Skylark and the Graham Hollywood). Gordon Miller Buehrig ( June 18 1904 &ndash January 22 1990) was a noted automobile designer Auburn was a Brand name of American Automobiles produced from 1900 through 1936 Cord was the Brand name of a United States Automobile, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 through 1932 and again The Hupmobile was an Automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan, which was located at 345 Bellevue The Graham brothers were successful businessmen with interests in several industries
Development process
Includes the next steps:
- Concept sketching.
- Computer modeling.
- Drive train engineering. For the UK engine manufacturer see Powertrain Ltd. In a Motor vehicle, the term drivetrain, powertrain or powerplant
- Scale model creation.
- Prototype development. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category
- Manufacturing process.
See also
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External links
- Auto&Design Magazine An archive of the leading print magazine for automotive design
- Car Design News News and resources for the international automotive design community
- Chrysler Design Institute Insight into Chrysler's design studio processes. Alternative propulsion is a term used frequently for Powertrain concepts differing from the Internal combustion engine concept used in only Petroleum fueled A glossary of terms as relating to Automotive design. Some terms may be found at Car body style. Automotive suspension design is an aspect of Automotive engineering, concerned with designing the suspension for cars and trucks Bus manufacturingA coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for Carriages or Automobiles The trade dates back several centuries Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. Some are still in production while others are of historical interest only Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any For scale models of automobiles see Model car. A car model is a particular brand of vehicle sold under a Marque. Computer-aided industrial design ( CAID) is a subset of Computer-aided design (CAD that includes software that directly helps in product development Dashtop mobile equipment collectively refers to wireless mobile devices mounted on the vehicle dashboards Ecodesign is an approach to design of a product with special consideration for the environmental impacts of the product during its whole lifecycle Giorgetto Giugiaro (born August 7, 1938) is an Italian Automobile designer He was born in Garessio, Province of Cuneo In vehicle design and especially Automotive design, the H-point (or hip-point) is the relative vertical location of an occupant's hip, specifically the Industrial design is an Applied art whereby the Aesthetics and Usability of mass-produced products may be improved for marketability and The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input A machine is any device that uses Energy to perform some activity o2 Global Network is an International network for people interested in Sustainable design. Open content, a Neologism coined by analogy with " Open source " describes any kind of Creative work published in a format that explicitly allows OScar is the first attempt to design an entire Automobile (now also extended to other vechicles Bus, Truck and Motorcycle) using Open See also Battista Farina, founder of the company his son Sergio Pininfarina and grandson Andrea Pininfarina. An automobile platform is a shared set of common design engineering and production efforts as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of Pre-production cars are vehicles that allow the Automaker to find problems before a new model goes on sale to the public A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of Solid freeform fabrication (SFF is a collection of techniques for Manufacturing solid objects by the sequential delivery of energy and/or material to specified points in A wind tunnel is a research tool developed to assist with studying the effects of air moving over or around solid objects
- Design Council Automotive Design Design Council UK's one stop shop information resource on Automotive Design by Chris Clements.
- Concept Car Design Automotive design information, news, reports & directory
- Designerspace Interactive space for the automotive designers: portfolios gallery and world contests.
- DesignerTechniques Free resource where you can learn the techniques and skills of auto designers
- Foresight Vehicle British automotive R&D programme and Knowledge Transfer Network
- Cost analysis of an advanced vehicle design.
- Car Design Online Automotive design from concept to production
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