This, my friends, is CAR DESIGN.  This is what it is all about.  Thinking completely outside of the box, outside of the wheels, outside of what makes modern vehicle design so conventional.  This, my friends, is the BMW Gina Light Visionary Model.  And truly, this is CAR DESIGN at it’s greatest.

In what may be the biggest leap in design thinking in a long time, BMW has broken the mold with the Gina.  It has made vehicle design COOL AGAIN.  And it did it all with a vehicle whose concept is not far-fetched, not new, just right.  And we are oh-so-thankful!

The Gina is intended to be an in-house vision model, something all designers know and love: a vision (direction) for  where Bimmer’s styling and design will head.  The much-maligned flame surfacing has sudden taken a spectacular turn into stardom.

What makes this vehicle so special is that it takes sheet metal away completely.  Utilizing a Michealangelo-esque method of draping material over a form to create a shape, the Gina is able to be sexy and lightweight.  Like a Victoria’s Secret model stepping onto the runway wearing a full head-to-toe silk dress, the vehicle entices with what you DON’T see… what is hidden there behind the thin curtain, shaped by undulating forms.

There IS one way to see more… by clicking the link to read more!

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Baron Margo is living the dream.  A) He has an incredibly cool name.  B) He’s an amazing metalcrafter who builds beautiful pieces of artwork, oftentimes of the “automated motor vehicle” kind.  His latest creations mix fantasy and motors, a la all the good Final Fantasy games, into an incredible steampunk experience

Rockets? Check.

Rivets? Check.

Gizmos and doohickeys?  Check.

Eye-popping, head-turning visuals?  Check.  Mate.

Living and working in LA, Margo’s work can often be seen  patrolling its streets, causing several accidents as the unweary public glances at the works of art that pass by.  Margo collaborates with other fabricators, artists, and designers on what he calls his “Art Cars”, incorporating metal, glass, leather, and any other material that harkens to a future that should have been… and still might, if the robots win the war.

Baron Margo’s work is inspiring and fantastic in our eyes and, well, Baron Margo, this Bud’s for you!

Check out more EXTREMELY COOL images of Baron Margo’s work after the jump.

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Just a little friendly reminder:

That Local Motors automobile design competition we mentioned a few weeks back is wrapping up soon… Monday night at 11:59PM EST to be exact!  Scrap those weekend plans, sharpen your pencils, and get to your sketchbooks!  Miami’s future uber-cars won’t design themselves!

Visit Local Motors’ competition page HERE.

industrial design today: courses, education, competitions, history and contemporary, shop, interviews, snapshots, design-aerobics, art basel: art unlimited 08 snapshots

The WotW this week brings you designboom, the online product design web supersite, offering design mini-courses, feature articles, competitions, and more.

The focused portion of the website is its offering of online product design courses, which it labels as “aerobics”: thought-provoking design excercises that are created by designboom’s own Editor-in-Chief Birgit Lohmann to flex and stretch the ideation muscles in our brains.  While not focused on developing vis com, the courses help balance the left-brain / right-brain management of creativity.

A second key element of the site is the plethora of competitions that are held, often in cooperation with other companies, to develop concepts as far-reaching as possible.  Several competitions have already drawn in thousands of applicants.

designboom is a great site for those in need of excersising their creativity, and we at CDf highly recommend you check them out.  Find them at designboom.com

 

Step 1:  Take a piece of paper.

Step 2: Drop into water.

Step 3: Surf..?

That’s what Mike Sheldrake set out to do.  Taking surf board construction from a decidedly Product Designer point of view, Sheldrake, bored of his slowly dying surfboard and looking to build his own, came up with the concept of replacing the typically-used foam in a surfboard with a honeycomb-ish lattice isogrid of a lighter-weight material: paper.  Or in this case, cardboard.

Starting with some free modeling software and a few curves, Sheldrake designed the board and had the pieces cut on a CNC router.  After tediously assembling the slotted pieces together to form the lattice, fibreglass sheets are applied and board is born.

Sheldrake is currently perfecting the board’s construction (via several prototypes) and attributes the idea to expanding on  previous efforts to make surfable paper by Tom Morey.

It just goes to show you that great flashes of design often come out of taking a step back and looking at a product in all of its possible simplicity, and applying basic construction techniques to achieve that goal.

Images courtesy sheldrake.net

(Thanks Candice!)

More images after the break! Read more

The world of automotive design is constantly evolving, especially for exterior designs. In the last few years the public has been given a jolt by select OEMS offering styling that is not only exciting but emotional.

To take a couple, Audi and BMW have been prime examples of setting a style and brand all to their own. I have always wondered why these cars in particular have been so appealing. Both have their own distinctive identity and originality only to be bested by the evolution of their own design.

Though the American and Japanese OEMS have been improving in the recent years, especially GM with their juice Cadillac and Buick line, Audi and BMW still seem to offer that extra desirability that makes you salivate and drool.

So what makes these guys so terribly good?

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In Podcast #11 we had the special opportunity to speak with Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, about LM’s vision for automotive design and production.

Have a listen!

 

 CarDesignFetish Podcast Ep#11 [37:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (179)

This weeks WOTB is a site we just came across when looking for business card ideas: Inspiredology.  Although the site is mainly Graphic Communications focused, it does offer up emerging trends in human interface, visuals, and aesthetics.

Inspiredology is essentially a collection of “Best Of’s” in the world of Graphic Communications, from web design to promotional work, much in the same way as our current favorite site Smashing Magazine is, although more focused on emerging visual trends.

In their own words:

Inspiredology is a new resource that covers everything that inspires us.

It’s definitely a great site to get some inspiration from, whether to switch to the right brain of thinking or to look at great presentation possibilities.

Check it out at Inspiredology.com

Wow, what an event. It was quite a show seeing planes fly at such high speeds (230mph) and making precise movements in a tight course. The race was all business since the first days qualifying was canceled due to high wind. The only show we got was watching the inflatable pylons blow off the docks and see the boats scramble to retrieve it. Day 2 meant the pilots had only one shot to get the best time to make it into the semi’s.

The course was .38 of a mile long and the planes took 2 laps - one forward and one reverse. (Yes, I know planes don’t go in reverse) Watching these races on video does not do justice to the speed and precision that goes into them. There is only a 12 foot section on the pylons that the pilots have to be within. Too high means adding a 3 second penalty, too low means you are disqualified. I strongly suggest that the next time these races come to town (we will know in August if this will be an annual Detroit event) or any town closest to you that you make the trip. How often do you get to see airplanes race?

Red Bull continues to outdo themselves with their creative and entertaining events. I can’t wait to see what comes around next year.

Enough said, check out the pics and video to see the race…..

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In the “Not Exactly Design-Related” portion of your automotive work day, we bring you a possible new segment in product design via website SimplyFitnessGear: Exercising in your car.

While the most practical way may not be to attach those Bow-Flex arms to your car seat, you can tune your abs, legs, and even shoulders with a few basic moves.  Read on to discover how Hanz and Franz Chevy can pump YOU up!

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