The Domus Academy, based out of Italy, is hosting a unique automotive design competition through their Master in Car Design program. The competition aims to redefine what makes a vehicle unique, citing the constant merging and shifting corporate landscape as a possible reason why cars: A) still have 4 wheels, B) still have the same interiors, and C) are, well, still pretty much the same after 100 or so years on the road.
The competition asks designers to examine the neglected needs of the consumers and to propose solutions for their changing needs.
Scholarships are available to the three best entries, covering up to 70% of the total tuition fee for a Masters Degree for the 2010 academic year.
For those interested, this is a terrific opportunity to both continue their design education and to take part in a unique competition.
The competition is open to students and professionals, with a deadline of 31 March 2010.
More information can be found at domusacademy.it/unlikeacar
Full press release after the break.
A beautiful car by itself is powerless. Its’ value and significance comes from intelligent scenarios and context of use which builds the balance between materials and technology that leads into innovative and successful solutions.
There has been various handcrafted solutions in the early 1300’s to transport people from one point to another by historically acclaimed inventors utilizing the popular materials of their era like wood and metal.
In 1800’s, mass-production technologies and invention of plastics provided the opportunity for the first official “car” models to appear.
In 1900’s, the technological heritage of the world wars – engineering, ergonomy and mass production- defined the outline of today’s automobile production companies.
In 2000’s, the popular approach was “to give more than expected” for the sake of competition which promoted superficial “styling” in exterior & “techno-logical integration” in interior design and indicated the first signs of an incoming crisis in automotive sector.
Today, in 2010, “large companies” are being bought by larger ones. Cars are looking like each other regardless of their brand difference. People are changing their cars continuously in pursuit of the latest trend which looks like a carbon copy of the previous model.
“Design a Car Unlike a Car” aims to provoke designers to go beyond the boundaries of “exterior beauty”. You are invited to identify the “neglected needs” and propose a solution for the continuously changing needs of our world that had been ignored for decades.
The competition is open to any designer (professional or student) who is interested to gain a new vision & mindset in the Car Design field through DA Master in Car Design Program for challenging the future automobile trends.
The three best projects will be awarded with three scholarships covering respectively 70%, 50%, 30% of the total tuition fee for Domus Academy Master in Car Design A.Y. 2010
The above conditions are intended only for the Academic Year 2010/2011.
All candidates who send their project as participation to the competition will receive an award consisting of 10% discount on the tuition fee to attend the Master in Car Design.
The works must be received at Domus Academy by and not later than March 31st, 2010.
For further information about Material requirements, Design and Evaluation Criteria please visit:
www.domusacademy.it/unlikeacar.html
In the 80′s Domus Academy imposed itself as the first postgraduate school of Design in the world: a place of advanced training and a research laboratory on processes of industrial creativity, on scenarios of aesthetics and consumption, on space-time relations, on utility and private service. The school boasts 9 Master courses in the field of product design, interior design, fashion, architecture, car design and more.
In 2009 Domus Academy joined Laureate International Universities network, a global leader in higher education for art and design. It has a global reputation for investing and growing the institutions part of its network, creating a truly multicultural, career-oriented educational experience.