By: Nick S.
Now it's no surprise that it takes a very talented individual to become an expert in automotive design. But that's not to say you should give up hope on attending Clemson University in South Carolina or Kettering University in Flint, Michigan (unless the water frightens you). These schools both have fantastic automotive design programs and graduate considerable numbers of educated members every year, like the gentlemen you will see in the video below. As we watch the cars of today driving down the road, we notice that each has a very distinct shape, and sometimes we are able to identify the make and model just by taking a quick glance. These intricate designs are the result of the great minds behind the whole project of building a new car: the designers.
If you don't take criticism well, this is not the job for you. However, if you like to face a challenge, try presenting a design that took you 12 months to sketch and have the engineers tell you "This doesn't make any bloody sense!" or "You'll have to redo this part.".
You now make a life sized model out of clay, much like this:
After research groups finalize a design and the prototype has been built, it is time to see if everything is working how it should. Uh oh. The aerodynamics are all wrong. Back to the drawing board. The next time around, the engineers are pleased, and the prototype is taken to auto shows and reviewed by magazines and Jalopnik type blogs, where it faces more criticism. Following this 2-3 year process, and response from public opinion, you are now required to get the product as good as possible before launch.
After this process is complete and the car you spent 70 hours a week on has been developed and manufactured, you get the joy of seeing others appreciate your hard work. After all, that is why you went to school to be an automotive designer.
Sources
"Top Automotive Design and Engineering Schools: List of Top Programs." Study.com. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
Bearing, Pawl. "A Day in the Life of an Automotive Design Engineer."Engineering.com. 24 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
Gill, Faheem. "Automobile Design: How Long Does It Take to Develop a Car Design from
Scratch?" Quora. 31 May 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgsJgKm2hmc
I had no idea that the automotive design field was so competitive, and that the actual designing is such an extensive process. The idea of making a clay model of a car seems insane, especially after so many sketches! It never occurred to me that cars I see everyday were all designs that went through that same process.
ReplyDelete-Emily T