Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Car Design Fetish

Design From the Mouths of Designers.

The Cars of Caprica

Posted by Jason White On March - 9 - 2010

Caprica is the only new show my wife and I watch every week  –  and if we miss it, you can bet we’ll be watching it on demand the following evening.  This Battlestar Galactica spin-off is as notable for its design as it is for its acting.  The Caprican society is technologically advanced, with their virtual reality clubs and robot butlers.  But this high-tech look is cleverly balanced with some inspired prop choices.

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Misunderstood Classics – 1988-91 Buick Reatta

Posted by Jason White On March - 7 - 2010

Full disclosure:  The designer of this car, David McIntosh, inspired me to become a car designer.  So naturally, my analysis will be less than objective.  Having said that, the much-maligned Buick Reatta definitely qualifies as a misunderstood classic.  Think of it as an 80s version of the Studebaker Avanti.

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Cool Cars You’ve Never Heard Of – Ligier JS2

Posted by Jason White On February - 28 - 2010

Being an F1 fan, I’ve always been familiar with the name Ligier.  Their French blue cars were a fixture on the Grand Prix circuit for years.  Turns out they also made a production sports car:  The Ligier JS2.

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Misunderstood Classics – 1977-95 Porsche 928

Posted by Jason White On February - 27 - 2010

Every premium brand has at least one black sheep.  For Ferrari, it’s the 308 GT4.  For Jag, it’s the XJS.  For Porsche, it would have to be the ol’ 928.  I’ve never been a Porsche aficionado, but this car has always piqued my interest.  I’m disappointed that even after 30+ years, it still isn’t held in high regard.

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Misunderstood Classics – 1969-71 Lincoln Continental Mark III

Posted by Jason White On February - 15 - 2010

One of my favorite movies is The French Connection.  William Friedkin’s Oscar-winning masterpiece is so many things:  Gritty, exciting, violent, dark, authentic, even funny at times.  So much has been said about the cast of this film, but I feel not enough has been said about one key character:  The brown Lincoln.  Whenever I see a Continental Mark III at a show (which is rare), I can hear Gene Hackman in the back of my head saying, “That car’s dirty, Cloudy.  We’re gonna sit here all night if we have to.”

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Design Analysis – 2010 Saab 9-5

Posted by Jason White On February - 13 - 2010

When I heard Saab would be “winding down”, the first thing that popped into my head was the new 9-5.  All that work.  All that development.  For nothing?  Surely, someone would step in and save the day.  Thanks to some last-minute heroics and a lot of money, that someone turned out to be Spyker.

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Misunderstood Classics – 1983 Cody Coyote

Posted by Jason White On February - 7 - 2010

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?

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Web of the Week: Design Newz

Posted by Dustin Shedlarski On February - 4 - 2010

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.

Viscom 101 – Mercedes-Benz Sculpture

Posted by Jason White On February - 1 - 2010

And the Eyes on Design Award for Best Silver Car Reference goes to…

Misunderstood Classics – 1970-78 AMC Gremlin

Posted by Jason White On January - 31 - 2010

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…

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2011 Ford Focus

Posted by Dustin Shedlarski
Jan-10-2010 I 4 COMMENTS

2011 Ford Fiesta

Posted by Dustin Shedlarski
Dec-2-2009 I ADD COMMENTS

Sketch P*rn

Posted by Dustin Shedlarski
Nov-17-2009 I ADD COMMENTS

2012 Buick Crossover Revealed

Posted by Dustin Shedlarski
Aug-12-2009 I 2 COMMENTS