AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN

Meet your instructor and get an overview of what’s ahead. Discover the course goals, flow, and your capstone project. Have all your questions answered and start excited!

• Instructor introduction
• Course objectives & flow
• Capstone project overview
• Q&A

Explore the key moments that shaped automotive design and understand how brand identities and design roles influence every vehicle on the road. Get to know the design lifecycle and where you fit in.

• Automotive design history 
• Design process overview
• Brand identities
• Roles & responsibilities

Assignment #1 (optional): Research a carmaker that you like, create a virtual board with their design history, progression, unique elements, or style.

Learn to dive deep into buyer profiles, competitor segments, and market positioning. Use Design Thinking to craft user-centered research that guides your vehicle concept and story.

• Understanding the buyer
• Knowing your segment
• Design Thinking
• Demo: Creating a market research document to start the demo capstone project. Showcases how to create a story around the user.

Assignment #2: Create a concept board/boards by defining your target audience, target segment, and competitor set.

Learn the art of quick silhouette sketches using the 300-meter approach, then refine details with perspective, proportion, and shading to bring your vehicle ideas to life.

• Basic drawing techniques
• Sketching different vehicle types
• 300m approach technique
• Demo: Walkthrough of basic drawing techniques

Assignment #3: Using your concept story, market research, and inspiration, start sketching and developing ideas for your capstone project.

Create compelling design stories that center on your user. Generate multiple concepts, pick the best ones, break design rules creatively, and learn to get inspired by the world around you.

• Creating the story
• Branching your ideation
• How to spot best ideas
• Breaking the rules
• Getting inspired
• Demo: How to incorporate your research/inspiration into your design process

Dive into the core principles of automotive design—evaluate aesthetics, function, and ergonomics while refining proportions, stance, and details. Participate in peer critiques to sharpen your eye.

• Critique of sketches in progress
• Application to wheeled vehicles
• Basics of automotive design
• Demo/Workshop: Critique of volunteer sketches - further sketching demo on how to refine your ideas

Bring your sketches to life digitally. Learn Photoshop techniques to enhance proportions, highlight focal points, and add realistic color and lighting to your vehicle designs efficiently.

• Translating sketches into Photoshop
• Proportions
• ‘Big picture’ thinking
• Establishing a focal point 
• Demo: Adding color and realism into ideation sketches, deep dive into shortcuts, effective use of the tool, developing and refining the design in Photoshop.

Assignment #4: Pick 1-3 of your previous sketches(or fresh start) and render them in Photoshop while refining your design.

Explore different rendering styles and reflect on what makes your own unique style. Gain fresh perspectives from an industry guest who will demonstrate their approach.

• Rendering techniques & personal style
• Guest Speaker Demo: Learn rendering from a different perspective, given by an accomplished industry professional

Learn to create precise orthographic views that consider ergonomics and packaging constraints while keeping your concept’s core design intact.

• Packaging considerations
• Creating an orthographic drawing
• Keeping the essence: Tips & tricks 
• Demo: Basic packaging demo

Assignment #5: Create orthographic drawings of the vehicle: plan/side view (optional: front/rear view) with the consideration of occupants, basic components, and overall size.

Compare traditional clay modeling, 3D printing, and digital tools. Learn to translate your orthographic sketches into a proportional digital model using Blender or your preferred software.

• Clay models: overview & purpose
• Uses of 3D printing
• Important digital modelling software
• Demo: Creating a digital model using Blender, how to use the orthographic drawings to get started

Assignment #6-#7: Using your orthographic drawings/sketches, start building a basic proportional model in Blender(or software of your choice). Keep refining and progressing the model.

Perfect your 3D model by sculpting smooth surfaces, adjusting stance, and integrating packaging for a production-ready look.

• Surface refinement: Advanced techniques
• Shape explanations
• Demo: Further development of the 3D Blender model. Refinement of proportions, stance, and silhouette.

Discover the distinct workflows of interior design. Apply ergonomic principles and learn how materials shape the user experience. Hear from a guest expert and explore a real case study.

• Guest speaker: An accomplished industry professional on the interior design process
• Case study: Applied ergonomic design: Piaggio/Vespa example

Identify key vehicle components like wheels and lights, learn safety regulations, and understand production constraints that influence design decisions.

• Components: Exterior & interior
• Wheel design
• Automotive lighting design
• Safety requirements & regulatory constraints
• Demo: Building the components of the 3D model

Assignment #8: Finalize the model by building component details of the 3D model.

Select materials and colors that bring your design to life. Learn how lighting and composition affect the final look of your renderings.

• Color and materials designer 
• Materials: Advantages & disadvantages 
• Demo: Setting up the renderings of your completed model, effective lighting, perspective, and composition to showcase the design in an impactful way. 

Assignment #9: Create 3-5 final renderings of your completed model, touch up images in Photoshop if the model is missing details. (optional) Create an action/hero shot.

Learn to curate and edit portfolio content, apply visual storytelling layouts, and evaluate exemplar portfolios to showcase design process and outcomes effectively to employers.

• Presenting your ideas
• What makes an effective portfolio
• Editing down to the best work
• Case study: Portfolio examples
• Demo: Compiling demo work in a portfolio format.

Assignment #10: Compile the Capstone project into a presentable portfolio format.

Understand regulatory standards and learn to navigate client, engineer, and team feedback. Use testing and market insights to improve your design iteratively.

• Recap of regulatory constraints
• Working with clients: priorities
• Working with engineers
• Working with a team of designers
• Inspections and testing process
• Market and consumer feedback
• Handling criticism

Present your final design, justify your decisions, receive peer and instructor feedback, and refine your work before graduation.

• Presenting capstone assignments
• Feedback & advice 

Turn your skills into a career path. Discover what studios look for in junior designers, how to stay ahead with new tools and trends, and how to present your work online. Explore specializations, tailor your portfolio, and prepare standout job applications.

• What companies are looking for
• Learning new design tools
• Future trends & industry development
• Presenting your work online
• Job application: Tools & tips 
• Specializing