car designer

Nowadays, car designers don't just design the appearance. The automobile industry needs a lot of talents. Take Chery as an example. The car designers it is recruiting now need to design the following aspects: 1. General layout, chassis and body design of automobile (interior and exterior decoration, structure and modeling). 2. Development and design of automobile circuits and electronic components. 3. Transmission, engine and its EFI design. And skillfully use Pro/E, UG, Catia and other software. I studied automobiles, electronics and engines in college.

Automobile exterior designer is the most comprehensive in automobile overall design. Large European automobile manufacturers have strict requirements for automobile exterior designers, and they are also very popular. Automobile appearance designers often come from mechanical designers or general layout designers, because only designers who know the whole automobile structure can design a good appearance, and the appearance of a car is not designed as they want. In addition to considering the characteristics of the brand, the most important thing is to consider how to arrange the internal machinery reasonably to make the whole vehicle as balanced, easy to use and more humanized as possible. So I suggest that if you really want to be an automobile designer, you should not study art design, but also have a deep understanding of the design of automobile mechanical structure. At present, the annual salary of an automobile designer is about10-250 thousand, which is very promising.

Ps: I think an interview with the famous designer David Kerr will be very helpful to you.

How to become a car designer? This is a question often mentioned in the news of automobile design. I'm sure many of you will ask or answer this question at some point in your life or work.

We invited David Kerr to ask you some answers about the career of automobile design offered by the Art Institute.

Q: David, can you briefly summarize your education and professional experience? This can pave the way for some readers who are not very familiar with you.

A: I grew up in Northern Ireland and started studying. Then I moved to Coventry, England, and studied industrial design and transportation at Coventry Art Institute. This is a four-year bachelor of arts degree (art major), including a six-month internship.

At the graduation ceremony, I got two opportunities at the same time: one was to study for a master's degree in fine arts at the Royal College of Art in London, and the other was to work at Motor Panels Ltd in Coventry. I was very anxious to start working at that time, so I decided to work for two years instead of improving my education.

After working in the automobile panel company for one year, I went to the Ford exterior design studio in Cologne, Germany, where I continued to work for four and a half years. For the next seven years, I worked in public design firms in several places; In Germany, Spain, California and so on. The last time, that is, 1997, I came to work in San Francisco Art Institute.

Q: When did you realize that you wanted to be a car designer?

A: When I started working in the automobile panel company, I realized that I wanted to be an automobile designer. I like the shape of large freight trucks and buses, although I soon found that the design of commercial vehicles has certain limitations; At that time I decided to design a car.

Q: How did you find the major of automobile design?

A: I participated in the automobile design competition of British automobile magazine in high school. After the award-winning works of students and professional players were published, these works of art shocked me. These brightly colored design sketches, as well as the effects rendered with markers, spray pens and toner, are different from any painting I have seen before. I knew then: these suit me.

Q: Can you describe your career as a car designer?

A: My first job on the dashboard gave me a lot of freedom, and I had many restrictions when I was working. At that time, I decided to devote myself to car design. After working in the automobile panel for one year, I got a new position, that is, I got a job in the Ford design studio in Cologne.

I learned a lot in Ford, where I first came into contact with CAD. I have carried out many projects along this road: including Ford's Teana and Mondeo. 199 1 year, I came to Volkswagen's new design studio in California and pretended to be an old designer. My first project is to set up a computer studio in the design center; When this came out, I was almost the only user of this two-dimensional and three-dimensional system.

I stayed in California for two years before going to Germany. In Germany, I was appointed as the director of a design studio of Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. During serving the public, I continued to deal with computers as much as possible. In this way, I carried out the following projects: Passat Passat, Polo Polo, Golf, Jetta Jetta, New Concept Beetle.

I am in charge of directing two projects in Volkswagen's Spanish Chair Studio. With the gradual improvement of my computer technology, I was sent to develop or eliminate the appearance of some predetermined products (including the successful new concept beetle).

Q: What or who made you respect this design and influenced it?

A: I studied architecture in high school and was influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, ludwig mies van der rohe and Gropius walter gropius. During my college years, I met many world-class automobile designers, and I was particularly impressed by the works of some Italian designers: Kigiaro Giugiaro, Pininfarina and Bertone.

As a professional car designer in the 1990s, I was also greatly influenced by Hardtmuth Volkus, the new design leader of Volkswagen at that time.

Q: What do you think of the future changes in automobile design?

A: There are many aspects that will affect car design: the next generation of cars will be driven by hybrid power to improve energy efficiency. Special energy sources, such as hydrogen energy, will also follow. Future designers may pay more attention to dealing with space design effectively, because interior decoration design will play an important role in the face of increasing population and traffic.

The interior of the car will become multifunctional and assemblable, and it will also match computerized communication tools and in-car entertainment. The rapid innovation of industrial technology and prototype design in the future will enable designers to customize and customize their works. For example, some smart cars in Europe now are good examples.

Security is a very important aspect. Over the years, we have seen huge bumpers, side impact beams and various airbags in cars. In the design of new car models, these are just some necessary requirements, so many considerations make today's car design extremely challenging.

In the past, some car designers were criticized, and people thought the design was too boring and too similar. As a result, companies have developed their own brand image series, and their main task is to erect a unique logo for their many products. If we persist, I hope we will never have a "boring" car design period again, so the future is still very optimistic.

Q: What are your five favorite car designs? Why?

A: It's really difficult to pick out the five so-called "best", so here I cite five major designs, which are works from different stages of life. When I was a child, I grew up around my father's Volkswagen. I still remember that the Beatles were very different then.

When I was a child, I watched the program "Saint" on TV, and I had a good impression on Volvo's P 1800, which was the best designed car in Volvo's history. These two designs impressed me quite deeply, about when I was a teenager.

Q: Can you describe the automobile design major of San Francisco Art Institute?

A: I can be divided into four main parts: painting, model making, computer technology and design courses. We teach traditional painting and modeling techniques, but at the same time students can learn how to draw and model with the most advanced computer software.

The experience gained from my personal company is different from their experience in designing and using (or lacking) computers, so we cover all options so that our students can be prepared for all possible situations. Design courses allow students to use traditional or computer technology to complete their works together.

The fall and spring semesters are 15 weeks, and we also offer a 7-week summer course.

Q: How do industrial design and automobile design interact with each other in San Francisco Art Institute?

A: Now the department I am in charge of is called "Industrial Design". In this department, we offer four majors: transportation, products, furniture and toys. Many core courses are shared by four departments.

Q: Can you introduce the typical background of students majoring in this major?

A: Most students come directly from high school, although we still have many sophomores. Most of them are Americans, many are from the Asia-Pacific region and a few are from Europe. These students got together and formed a special ethnic group.

Q: What is the average age of the students in your school?

A: Early twenties, until 24/25.

Q: What is the ratio of boys to girls?

A: In the Department of Industrial Design, most of them are boys. I think it may be about 90%. On the contrary, other departments, such as fashion and graphic design, are almost all girls. I want to see more female students in our department. It turns out that they are equally successful.

Q: How many teachers are there in your school? What is the teacher-student ratio?

At present, we have 3 full-time teachers and 20 part-time teachers. We have 200 students. So there are about eight students and a teacher.

Q: What qualifications does your teacher have?

A: The teachers who teach design courses are all high-quality employees with university degrees and have more than 30 years of design experience. We hired them based on their background, high professional title and strong interest in teaching. Most of our teachers are trainee designers in the San Francisco Bay Area, who have sacrificed a week or two to teach courses in AAC.

We provide day classes, evening classes and Saturday classes to adapt to the teacher's arrangement, and sometimes we let a teacher fly in from Los Angeles (or even farther away) to attend classes. Fortunately, the Bay Area is rich in design talents, so many senior designers engaged in products, automobiles, toys and furniture live here.

Q: What qualities do you need if you want to study in your school?

A: AAC enrolls students openly, and everyone has a fair chance. This means that you don't need any professional qualifications to enter the school, although more and more freshmen will apply for existing positions. However, the graduating class needs such professional qualifications.

Q: What are your expectations for future students?

A: Creative and passionate about learning.

Q: How to evaluate the entrance qualification of prospective students?

A: As I mentioned, they will not be evaluated at this stage, but each course will be evaluated in the form of final grade, which will determine whether students can continue to study other courses.

Q: How do students choose design schools?

A: For students majoring in automobile design, this choice is much simpler than industrial design, because there are only a few schools to choose from. Students should come to the school to have a look and have a good impression on the school and teachers, which is very important for your choice.

Another important factor is some data about schools. Geographical location is also important: for example, the San Francisco Bay Area has the highest concentration of creative award-winning design studios, providing various interactive communication and educational opportunities. In addition, the equipment of a school and a department is also very important: ACC can provide the most advanced and artistic equipment.

Q: Why do students think AAC is an automobile design school?

We designed a good study plan to prepare students for their first job. This has been achieved in the new semester, quality guidance, internship and sponsorship projects. Another factor to consider is the cost of education. AAC is the most reasonable art school in China.

Q: Q: What is the place around AAC?

A: Our department is in a warehouse on Vannis Street. Pacific Highland is a part of 10 1 expressway, which leads to the Golden Gate Bridge. The surrounding scenery is very good, there are many shops, bars and restaurants. San Francisco is a relatively small city, which is very casual and friendly, so it is very suitable for walking. There is a public transportation system running through the city, and AAC also has its own school bus for all teachers and students to get in and out free of charge.

Q: What is the internship rate?

A: The internship in the Department of Transportation started with three students three and a half years ago. Therefore, only a small part of our senior students meet the standards of internship. So far, these students have settled in Ford, General Motors, Audi, Volkswagen, Prisma Desing, Think and other companies. As for the product design group, students come from the studios in the Bay Area, including Ginkgo Design, Fitch, Frog Design, Five-pointed Star, Flextronics and Astro Design.

Q: Please describe what the internship of a typical automobile designer is like.

A: Most of our interns are very lucky to be able to work with experienced designers in real companies. The internship usually lasts 3-6 months. Some are full-time and some are part-time to facilitate students to continue their classes at school.

Q: What is the rate of full-time employment after graduation?

A: 100%. So far, we have graduated four students majoring in traffic design, two American students are employed by Ford's Lincoln Mercury Branch, and the other two foreign students, one is a freelance designer in California and the other is employed by Mitsubishi Japan.

Q: What are the employment opportunities around the world?

It's good. So far, we have students from Volkswagen in Germany, GM in Brazil and THINK in Norway. Come on in, one of our classmates has applied for an internship in the satellite studio of Spanish Volkswagen, and I really hope to get a reply.

Q: What kind of projects will entry-level automobile designers do?

A: It depends on many aspects of the overall environment of the studio. In a large cooperative studio, a new designer must devote himself to establishing his own work style, starting with simple projects, such as children, mirrors and plastic surgery. In a relatively small satellite studio, a new designer may have many opportunities to design a complete vehicle in a faster time.

Q: What tools do car designers use at work, manual or digital?

A: The hand tools haven't changed: pencils, ballpoint pens, markers, chalk, paint sprayers, used for drawing boards, marking paper, kraft paper and, of course, napkins occasionally. Paper tape is also used to make 1: 1 paintings on polyester films.

The digital tools needed include 2D painting and 3D model software produced by ALIAS, which is the industrial standard model of automobile design. Many companies use digital projectors and 3D vision software to evaluate digital works in the mode of 1: 1. Some companies will also try holographic display.

References:

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