Picture: @thesketchmonkey
Por: Carlos Lara
The design of a car is what makes you fall in love with a car or dislike it. So we talked with one of the most influential designer around social media giving us an insight within the world of car design.
Carlos:We are here with Marouane Bembli, a designer and an authority evaluating and improving all kind of car designs, he has a very popular YouTube channel known as thesketchmonkey , welcome! Could you tell us about your background?
Marouane:Thank you! Sure, I’m originally from Stockholm, Sweden. Decided early on that I wanted to work with something that involved sketching and drawing. I also had a very strong passion for cars. Eventually, those two interests came together. I studied a bachelor program in industrial design in Sweden before moving down to Italy to complete my masters degree in automotive design.
C:From your perspective what do you consider it is the most important aspect that a car designer needs in order to be innovative within the car industry?
M:Imagination. It’s not easy because there are so many rules and regulations you need to comply with as a car manufacturer and designer. But if you can work around those in some way, you can come up with some new innovative concepts.
C:What are the steps to create a concept car from the first idea to the sktech, and then the real model?
M:First step is the brief of what type of car you’re going to design - family car, sports car etc. Then figure out the package of the car - where the engine, transmission and greenhouse will be placed and how much space each will have.
Then it’s time to get sketching. Usually there are several designers working on the ideas. These ideas are then presented to the design director or manager of the project who decides which ones will go on to become clay models.
Around 4-5 full size clay models are created with small differences in the design. These are then evaluated and finally one design is chosen to become a working prototype.
C:Many people are starting to look some of the cars boring , specially in the mass production cars, the designs are basically the same structure and, for someone that is not an expert it is difficult to tell the difference. Are we reaching the limit of innovation in that segment? what can be done regarding new cars?
M:Yes I think we’re coming to a point where there’s only so many line changes and tweaks to the front facias you can make on a conventional combustion engine package. This package sets limitations on what you can do as a designer, you have to work around those instead of them fitting into your design.
But I’m sure with the introduction of electric vehicles, there will be a completely new, refreshing wave of concepts we’ve never thought of before. Because basically, all you need is a platform of batteries to build on. This creates a lot more freedom for the design.
C: On the other hand I´m seeing an explosion of new ideas in the supercar and hypercar industry, designers like sasha selipanov, alex alexiev, gorden wagener, robert melville and many others are pushing the boundaries of imagination and i think they´re breaking the conservatism of design, i mean, for instance the mclaren 720s change the traditional approach of the headlights. can you elaborate about those designers and innovations?
M:Not sure I would say they’re breaking boundaries. The designs are beautiful, sure, but they’re still made out of metal, they are still symmetrical, they still have a combustion engine with a gearbox which creates typical, traditional proportions of the car.
I want to see cars that can transform into different packages, maybe have LED tentacles sticking out of the taillights that contract when you brake, asymmetrical designs, body surfaces that can change color or display a message. Stuff like that would be something new.
C: How those ideas could reach our everyday cars?
M:I think it all goes back to electric cars. It will give us so much more freedom for innovation when we are not forced to work around a package that’s been around since the Ford Model-T. We don’t need a big engine block or a gearbox anymore. I look forward to seeing what types of designs come up with this transition to electric drive.
C: I saw your working on your videos, detailing and improving the car design, it is insane the amount of work it requires! when you decide that is enough and you´re happy with the design? because, i think you as a designer always look for changes in order to improve the concept car..
M:Thanks for watching! Yes it’s a lot of work but it really doesn’t feel like work. I get excited everytime I start sketching on a new car. It’s fun. I try to not go nuts on the changes and try to make it feel as if my designs could have been created by the manufacturer. I should probably do a couple of re-designs where I just go crazy and add all kinds of weird stuff to the car, like the features I mentioned earlier.
C: What is your advice to give someone who would like to start designing cars?
M:Just start. Start sketching and exploring. The tools are all out there. If you have a passion for it, it will almost come automatically. Start sketching and always share your work online. C: Could you tell us about the design ethos of countries that produce cars? , what makes a car Japanese, British, German or American? from the design perspective which are the main differences?
M:Hmm interesting. The Japanese seem to have the most fun designing cars. They lack a little in brand identity but it doesn’t matter, they are explorers of shapes and flow.
The British is all about tradition. Don’t fix something that isn’t broken. Traditional proportions and design, especially when it comes to the graphics.
The Germans are the professionals. They have a standard for everything they design. Very strong brand identity which in a way leads to cars looking very much alike. There isn’t a lot of play here. Very strict rules that are rarely broken or changed.
The Americans design cars as they design any other product. They are made for the masses which the brands being more important than the individual car models of it. A lot of similarities and parts are shared among the American brands and each one is marketed to a specific target audience.
Thank you very much and we're looking forward to see more of your work!
All images are from
@thesketchmonkey
YouTube
The sketch monkey.
🐒
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario