To develop the look and feel of new cars, a car designer collaborates with a team of creative and engineering professionals. Design teams can be quite large, and they can include a wide range of people involved in the process of designing new cars, from those concerned with improving safety to those concerned with the dashboard display’s aesthetics. A degree in automotive engineering, art, or industrial design can be beneficial for people interested in this field, and many car companies may require it.
Designers of automobiles begin with the concept stage, where they discuss a completely new design or a redesign. They discuss their goals for the vehicle and incorporate feedback from customers, dealers, and designers on previous models. This is used to generate ideas for how a new car should look, allowing designers to begin sketching and mocking up designs. These become more precise and detailed as the process progresses, and the car designer begins to focus on the small details, such as the shape of the lenses used to cover the indicator lamps to the stitching on the seats.
The car designer is concerned with the vehicle’s aesthetics, how it fits into a manufacturer’s lineup, and what kind of message it sends out. They must also consider aerodynamics and safety, as some aesthetically appealing features may jeopardize the car’s ability to run. They discuss design proposals with engineers and devise strategies for implementing them. Color schemes, materials, and other fine details are all considered by car designers as they design the vehicle down to the last detail.
Safety regulations, as well as industry standards for safety and basic features on vehicles, must be familiar to car designers. Coming up with innovative features and working with engineers to make these features available could be a part of their job. Because car design is frequently influenced by larger design and cultural trends, people must also be aware of how the general public thinks. A car designer can use market surveys to learn more about how people respond to proposed designs and conduct research to look for influences in modern art and architecture.
Car design can take months or even years in some cases, and it necessitates meticulous attention to detail as well as the ability to see the big picture. A car designer must also be able to collaborate with people from various backgrounds, each with their own set of priorities, ranging from executives who want to keep production costs low to engineers concerned about environmental sustainability.