I still have a copy of the Hardcastle and McCormick pilot on VHS. The quality is poor and I have to fast forward through the commercials, but I don’t mind. It’s a UHF time capsule that I unearth once in a while — okay, more than once in a while. Like the Bricklin, the focal point of this TV series is a guilty pleasure I keep coming back to. Yes, it’s a kit car, and the revving engine was a sound effect. So?
Design-Newz is a site that features articles, resources and tutorials written by designers and developers from around the blogosphere. The site is extemely useful. There is a broad range of info pertaining to drawing, graphics, photoshop, web, and articles on design. You can go back everyday since the site updates with 5-10 articles daily. Design Newz always has something new to learn that can be applied to your everyday work.
Follow them on Twitter (DesignNewz) to see new updates when they happen. If you have some info worth sharing you can submit it to be published on their site.
And the Eyes on Design Award for Best Silver Car Reference goes to…
If there were ever an easy target for the peanut gallery, this is it. Polarizing shape + negative name = turkey shoot. It’s just too tempting. And anytime a website compiles an ugly car list, you can bet your life the poor Gremlin will be in the top five. Is this car really that offensive? I mean, really? Why don’t we declare a momentary cease fire and have a look at the context surrounding this design…
I’ll admit up front that I’m guilty of calling the original Opel GT a “poor man’s Corvette” — that was back in my CCS days when I was young and impressionable. While there are some vague similarities to the C3, I think dismissing this classic as a wanna-be is a bit extreme. It’s like dismissing the Fiero as a “poor man’s Lamborghini.” As design professionals, we can be a bit more discriminating than that… Read the rest of this entry »
Like everyone who watched the unveiling of Apple’s new IPad yesterday, we have to throw in our two cents. Were we disappointed? Kind of, but give some credit, it had a lot to live up to. I don’t want to repeat all of the issues that everyone else is talking about so I will focus on a Pro and a Con that relate to the auto/ design industry. Lets start with the negative.
Yesterday I opened my 401k statement, and it was actually in positive territory. Double digits at that. Am I going to run out tomorrow and make a down-payment on a premium luxury car? No. But as a designer, it’s vital to be in tune with the wants and desires of customers at all levels — regardless of your own financial sensibilities. With that in mind, let’s have a look at the new A8, a product that is sure to satisfy the wants and desires of the premium luxury car buyer.
“I know my own needs. And what I need from an automobile, I know I get from this new… Corrrrdoba!” (Cue Spanish horns) And so, with a velvety voiceover from Ricardo Montalban, an amazing automotive success story began. You young designers can go ahead and crack all the jokes you want, but here’s the truth: If the Edsel was the single biggest design strike-out ever, then the Cordoba was likely one of the biggest design home runs ever. Too bad most of these “small Chryslers” are just small cubes today…
When I hear GMC’s tagline Professional Grade, the first thing that comes to my mind is the ubiquitous Bunn coffeemaker – the kind that you see in restaurants and bars. Solid, metallic and built to last, these machines and others like them have a cachet all their own. The sort of cachet that makes you think, “Well, if it’s good enough for professional needs, it’s good enough for me.” Other brands are forging ahead on a similar path, such as Maytag. Their Performance Series of appliances are sold under the banner Commercial Technology, drawing attention to the heavy duty springs and belts “under the hood”. So with this context in mind, what will GMC’s Professional Grade aesthetic look like going forward?
Hopefully, the answer to this question is found in the GMC Granite. Styled in GM’s California studio and fabricated in Michigan, this ‘urban utility vehicle’ won the coveted Eyes On Design award for concept vehicles. As an instructor at the College for Creative Studies, I constantly preach to my students that car design is all about two key ingredients: proportions and detailing. The Granite is a great example of a theme that gets these two ingredients right – inside and out.
The name Studebaker is a rarity among orphan car brands – it offers a bridge between horse drawn carriages and modern automotive lore. And as a designer, I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t know much about the history of this brand – that is until I visited the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana. This modern facility, opened in 2005, houses an amazing array of vehicles on three floors. A friendly, dedicated staff is on hand to answer your questions and make you feel at home.
