Opinion Archives https://www.formtrends.com/category/resources/opinion/ The premier vehicle design website Sun, 30 May 2021 23:06:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/www.formtrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/cropped-FT-trans_600-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Opinion Archives https://www.formtrends.com/category/resources/opinion/ 32 32 112948072 Design Bullying – More Than a Thick Skin is Needed https://www.formtrends.com/design-bullying-more-than-a-thick-skin-is-needed/ https://www.formtrends.com/design-bullying-more-than-a-thick-skin-is-needed/#respond Wed, 12 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10020533 I’m sure you all know the two types of designer: the quieter, intellectual introvert and the bolder, confident extrovert. You are most probably one of them. The design bully comes in various guises too. Regardless of character, bullying comes in all shapes, sizes, and occurs at all levels. Perhaps naively, I never expected to be faced with it in the design world. Back in September 1996, I started my first term at design school and we were thrown straight into […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/design-bullying-more-than-a-thick-skin-is-needed/feed/ 0 10020533 Aero and Design – Is the Mercedes EQS the Future of the Automobile? https://www.formtrends.com/aero-design-mercedes-eqs-future-automobile/ https://www.formtrends.com/aero-design-mercedes-eqs-future-automobile/#respond Thu, 06 May 2021 10:20:54 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10020498 The Mercedes EQS is the flagship of Sindelfingen’s new electric model line. It’s also the most aerodynamic production car to date. But at what cost has this achievement come? Aerodynamics is becoming increasingly important in automobiles, especially in light of the electric revolution. In many European countries, the decision to ban sales of petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030 has ignited the need for electric vehicles that can go further for longer. The more aerodynamically efficient a vehicle is, the […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/aero-design-mercedes-eqs-future-automobile/feed/ 0 10020498 Losing My Edge: Car Design and Automation https://www.formtrends.com/losing-my-edge-car-design-and-automation/ https://www.formtrends.com/losing-my-edge-car-design-and-automation/#respond Tue, 06 Apr 2021 08:01:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10020104 “I’m losing my edge. The kids are coming up from behind. I’m losing my edge.” That is a quote from LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy’s 2002 hit song, “Losing My Edge”. As with musicians, professionals in all industries have had to adapt to changes in the digital age, and that’s no less true of designers. The automation of design tools is a political issue that requires us to recast the role of the designer, writes Robert Dooley. “Losing My Edge” music […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/losing-my-edge-car-design-and-automation/feed/ 0 10020104 Repurposing the Pen: Why Automotive Design Needs an Intellectual Tradition https://www.formtrends.com/repurposing-the-pen-why-automotive-design-needs-an-intellectual-tradition/ https://www.formtrends.com/repurposing-the-pen-why-automotive-design-needs-an-intellectual-tradition/#respond Wed, 17 Mar 2021 16:11:30 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10019858 There are isolated examples of critically-engaged vehicle design, but these can only be critiqued on individual merit and not as part of a broader discourse. Robert Dooley asks how we might all contribute to a more reflective discipline. Automobiles are one of, if not the, most technically advanced consumer products. Automotive designers are a distinct subset of the industrial design family, trained to create complex, highly resolved three-dimensional forms for volume manufacturing. Creating ‘the new thing’ is the source of […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/repurposing-the-pen-why-automotive-design-needs-an-intellectual-tradition/feed/ 0 10019858 Transitional Forms: The Shape of Things to Come https://www.formtrends.com/transitional-forms-the-shape-of-things-to-come/ https://www.formtrends.com/transitional-forms-the-shape-of-things-to-come/#respond Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:01:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10019744 The automotive industry is going through an evolutionary adjustment as we see the emergence of an industry-wide transition from investment in gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) power to battery electric power and autonomous vehicles. The recent unveiling of the Renault 5 electric vehicle (EV) prototype, the rebranding of General Motors and the UK government’s plan to ban new diesel and gasoline-powered cars by 2030 are clear examples that a shift is happening. EVs are no longer niche futuristic visions held […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/transitional-forms-the-shape-of-things-to-come/feed/ 0 10019744 The Dilemma of the ‘Race Car Stylist’ https://www.formtrends.com/the-dilemma-of-the-race-car-stylist/ https://www.formtrends.com/the-dilemma-of-the-race-car-stylist/#respond Thu, 11 Feb 2021 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10019402 The recent prevalence of hypercar projects at the college level has been an exciting development – and there is little doubt as to why. Nothing ignites the creative juices of a car design student quite like auto racing. Beyond being an exciting subject matter, a race car is quite simply the easiest route for a student intent on grabbing the viewer’s undivided attention. The only problem is that in the real world, race cars are engineered, not styled. Within the […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/the-dilemma-of-the-race-car-stylist/feed/ 0 10019402 We Need a New Design Approach for Shared Autonomous Cars https://www.formtrends.com/we-need-a-new-approach-for-shared-autonomous-vehicles/ https://www.formtrends.com/we-need-a-new-approach-for-shared-autonomous-vehicles/#respond Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10019647 One of the things I often hear about autonomous shared cars is how they will reduce the number of cars we need. But I don’t get it. It sounds simple: instead of people having their own car that they use very little, there will be far fewer cars that will be shared, meaning that each autonomous car will be used far more than cars are today. Simplistically (and I know this is far from the whole truth), instead of having many cars with […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/we-need-a-new-approach-for-shared-autonomous-vehicles/feed/ 0 10019647 Have The Most Beautiful Cars Already Been Designed? https://www.formtrends.com/is-there-still-good-car-design/ https://www.formtrends.com/is-there-still-good-car-design/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10019303 When you look at new cars, do you sometimes feel that the most beautiful ones have already been designed? Where has true elegance, purity and originality gone? And why does it seem that, while there are more cars than ever, there is less good car design? We’ll examine some recent electric cars from Mladá Boleslav, Bavarian missiles and a novelty from China as we look for answers to these questions. Is there still good design? Of course, it’s just sometimes hard to […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/is-there-still-good-car-design/feed/ 0 10019303 Unraveling the Trend of Unrealistic Design Sketches https://www.formtrends.com/unravelling-the-trend-of-unrealistic-design-sketches/ https://www.formtrends.com/unravelling-the-trend-of-unrealistic-design-sketches/#respond Wed, 25 Nov 2020 08:00:38 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10014725 I’ve known Fabio Filippini for a good while. The former Renault interior design VP and Pininfarina Chief Creative Officer has over 35 years of experience in the automotive design sector and is currently running his own design consultancy in Tokyo, Japan, where he is actively advising on car design and design strategy. Filippini is also very active on social media – an activity that can possibly be attributed to long stays in airport lounges as he travels between his home […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/unravelling-the-trend-of-unrealistic-design-sketches/feed/ 0 10014725 Porsche LeMans 2035 Concept vs Ares Design S1 Project https://www.formtrends.com/porsche-lemans-2035-concept-vs-ares-design-s1-project/ https://www.formtrends.com/porsche-lemans-2035-concept-vs-ares-design-s1-project/#respond Wed, 18 Nov 2020 09:05:11 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10014608 The automotive landscape is littered with car designs that resemble one another. More often than not, an aesthetic or functional element is said to have been inspired by another. This is why many people unable to read design claim all cars look the same. They may resemble one another, but they’re not identical.  Earlier this month, I posted photos of the Ares Design S1 Project on my Facebook and Instagram pages and a discussion began gaining traction.  Many people have […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/porsche-lemans-2035-concept-vs-ares-design-s1-project/feed/ 0 10014608 Electric Motorcycle Design – Thinking Outside The Box https://www.formtrends.com/electric-motorcycle-design-thinking-outside-the-box/ https://www.formtrends.com/electric-motorcycle-design-thinking-outside-the-box/#respond Tue, 03 Nov 2020 08:06:53 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10014351 Can a battery be beautiful?  This is not a question that most car designers are asking themselves, because electrification means different things to different vehicles.  Sculpted, non-structural body panels as the defining design elements is relatively new to motorcycles.  The motorcycle has spent most of its 150-year life as a naked machine, proudly showing off its internal plumbing, structures and propulsive components.  The art of the motorcycle has always been principally about proportion, not lines, and the interplay of contrasting […]

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/electric-motorcycle-design-thinking-outside-the-box/feed/ 0 10014351 How Media and Industry are Turning Away from the Future of the Car https://www.formtrends.com/how-media-and-industry-are-turning-away-from-the-future-of-the-car/ https://www.formtrends.com/how-media-and-industry-are-turning-away-from-the-future-of-the-car/#respond Wed, 29 Jul 2020 06:45:00 +0000 https://www.formtrends.com/?p=10012797 While the future of the car depends on a number of different mobility alternatives, traditional automotive media outlets and the... LOGIN OR SUBSCRIBE TO VIEW

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]]> https://www.formtrends.com/how-media-and-industry-are-turning-away-from-the-future-of-the-car/feed/ 0 10012797