DownsideUpDesigner goes AWOL

So that you, my loyal readers, wont think that I’ve dropped off the face of the planet I wanted to let you know that I’m away from the ‘furt for the next week.

The weekend will be spent soaking up Rodchenko, Courbusier and a few drinks with mates in London. Next week, of course, will be all about the Geneva Motor Show.

After this brief interlude the DownsideUpDesigner should be back in full swing, hopefully with some incisive commentary on what I saw at Geneva and how it all fits into the rapidly evolving big picture of automotive design.

In the meantime I commend you to read a fabulous article on the legacy of Chris Bangle, written by Sam Livingstone, over at Car Design News. He successfully elucidates why I, and many other young designers, think that Chris has done more for the industry than any other designer in recent history.

Filed under: Blog

Golf VII to Downsize: Told you so!

I was asked early last year what my opinion was on the future of the C Segment and what I believed then is what I still belive now: C Segment cars are too big, too space inefficient and, crucially, too heavy.

My conclusion was that any forward thinking manufacturer would take a similar approach to the one Mazda took when redesigning the 2: downsize and lighten up.

Following this assertion, I had a period of wondering if it would come true as each successive C Segment preview and launch continued the trend for bloat. Even Mazda, who has lead the recent focus on generational weight management let their game slip with the new 3.

Well it looks like VW is taking the lead with rumours pointing to a lighter, smaller MK VII Golf for 2012. The Golf has been one of the clearest indicators of C Segment bloat and to see a Mk 1 GTi parked next to a Mk V R32 is to understand why that later car needs 250ps and an Arabian oil field to be fun. It weighs 1612 Kg for pity’s sake! So talk of a smaller platform, lighter materials and a focus on small-capacity engines with amazing HCCI technology was music to my ears.

Having observed with wonder as VW’s engineers sent to market paragons of capability such as the Veyron and mental engines such as a V5, W12 and V10 TDi, it’s clear the intelligence is there. It’s seems it’s now being directed in a thoroughly useful, more sustainable direction.

[Source: Auto Express Image: Wiki Commons]

Filed under: Car, Design, Design Strategy, Eco, Things I like, Downsizing, Golf, GTi, HCCI, R32, Volkswagen

Where fashion goes, cars may follow

Just read this really interesting extract from an interview with Simon Collins, the Dean of Fashion at Parsons where he talks about the impact of the recession on fashion.

Am I alone in thinking that what he says could be easily be translated into rationalising some of the largesse of the car industry?

“The biggest challenge was the biggest opportunity with designers eschewing big runway shows into a static exhibition. This in tandem with an internet presence is a more modern way of working and I think we’ll see much more of it.

A lot of the rubbish will be swept away. We are going to focus on brands with real integrity. There was a much more intelligence to the merchandising of the lines. There was the same level of creativity but less window dressing and more focus on salable items.”

His comments regarding shows is particularly pertinent given the impending Salon de Geneve. Yes, I will be there (hopefully) enjoying my three course lunch with champagne at Audi, I’ll admit. But what if car makers moved away from the massive cost of running their motor show stands and introduced new product like Apple will, who has decided to not continue with their traditional MacWorld keynotes?

Filed under: Adventures in Brand Extension, Branding, Car, Design Strategy, Motor Shows, Uncategorized, Apple, Brand, Brand Experience, Brand Extension, Branding, Geneva Motorshow, Motor Shows, Retail

Degree Show Review: Pforzheim Winter 09

A couple of weeks ago I visited Pforzheim for the first time to see the transportation design school’s winter show. It’s always a fascinating experience visiting other design schools and seeing the different approaches schools take in preparing students for the professional world. This show had a particular poignancy knowing how many of the younger professionals are being laid off at the moment. Automotive design, at the best of times, is a difficult career to break in to and it’s not getting any easier for some time to come.

Filed under: Car, Concept, Design, Design Strategy, Uncategorized, Degree Show, Pforzheim, Student Work

Have you asked, I mean really asked, yourself recently why you design cars?

(Change cars as you see fit, the ultimate point of this post is the same whatever industry you work in)

I’ve recently been sounding out the view that now is a good time to really start changing how the automobile industry approaches the design and production of cars.

Is the time right for a manufacturer to boldly transition to becoming a provider of personal transport ecosystems rather than just churning out the same old horse and carriage that has brought us thus far? I’ve a suspicion that there are a couple of manufacturers working on this basis at the moment but a public launch could be the shot in the arm that gets society-at-large thinking deeply about the future of personal transport and how we can transition to a more sustainable, holistic model.

Of course, there are intermediaries such as Zipcar, DB Car Sharing and the grassroots ride sharing movement, but they work within the existing framework. What if there was a completely integrated vertical model, similar to Apple’s, but without requiring ownership? Could it work? Am I starting to sound like a loon?

As a car lover I’m torn, obviously. But at some point something’s gotta give.

It’s a rather long winded introduction but I was encouraged to write this post after having read a fantastic interview with Allan Chochinov, editor-in-chief of Core77, over at the AIGA page. He discusses his approach to design, his advocacy of a return to service design and his teaching. Highly recommended reading.

To Design or Not to Design: A Conversation with Allan Chochinov: Voice: AIGA Journal of Design: Writing: AIGA.

[Image: Melodi2]

Filed under: Design, Design Strategy, Things I like, AIGA, Allan Chochinov, Core77, Design Teaching, Service Design

@drewpasmith = Yes, I’m on Twitter!

Not having full connectivity on my pony somewhat limits my spontaneity with Twitter but I’m there for better.

Or is it for worse? Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Xing and LinkedIn combined makes me feel a little like a character in the cartoon below. “Just take ten deep breaths and relax, everybody’s doing it!”

[Abstruse Goose via PSFK]

Filed under: Applications, Blog, Social Media, Technology, Web, @drewpasmith, Twitter

Lost in Translation: Saving Saab

I have the Franfurter Allgmeine Zeitung in my feed list but my German skills are sketchy at best when it comes to journalistic language. Google Translate is my best friend/worst enemy in this case.

Today there’s an article about saving Saab and the translation of the by-line made me giggle so I thought I’d share it with you. Sometimes getting a little lost in translation is so much more fun!

Save Saab! 
Who little thought to its nature, drove Saab. The Swedish car maker insolvent kutschierte the liberal-left intelligentsia, the romantic and creative non-conformist establishment. What should architects, designers, editors please drive Saab even if it no longer exists? 

My thoughts exactly.

[Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Image courtesy of Saab]

Filed under: Branding, Car, Design, Lost in Translaton, Things I like

Same sausage, different length

There was a time when BMW was accused of reproducing the same design theme while only varying the length, thus giving rise to the phrase used in the title. Don’t get me wrong, having owned an E36 3 series coupe and allowing myself unsavoury thoughts about the E38 7 series and an E34 M5 (which were the groß-wurst and uber mittel-wurst to my 3 series würstchen), the Ercole Spada/Claus Luthe BMWs were beautifully resolved vehicles that I still look longingly at. The strong visual link between the cars was always part of the appeal.

Chris Bangle changed that, with the 3, 5 and 7 all adopting distinct design themes. The concept of a highly unified family look seemed to have disappeared with the other proponent of the sausage concept, Mercedes, also pursuing inconsistent design themes across it’s ever-expanding range.

BMW stablemate, Rolls Royce, has done us proud however and fans of  strictly evolutionary design can rejoice. The image you see above is not of the gargantuan Phantom but of the slightly less enormous 200EX concept that’s to be revealed in Geneva. Looking at the rear 3/4 view, even I had to do a double take. Perhaps, once appreciated in real life, the relative scales of the cars will be a signifier but as far as the photos are concerned, the 200EX is the Lincolnshire Chippolata to the Phantom’s whopping Cumberland.  

We know that people associate a strong family identity with feelings of longevity, stability and depth of experience (both of those producing the vehicle, and the experience one has with the vehicle), all qualities that are highly valued in the premium market. From a strategic design perspective, Ian Cameron and his team have made a safe bet that, market conditions notwithstanding, will attract customers by enabling them to attain the Rolls mystique in a Phantom-lite package. Those A8600 iLs are starting to look even more boring…

(Images courtesy of Rolls Royce Motor Cars Ltd)

Filed under: Car, Design, Design Strategy, Premium, 200EX, Chris Bangle, Claus Luthe, Ercole Spada, Rolls Royce, Same sausage different length

Quote of the Day

In down economies, the only thing that’s going to change things is changing things. This is hard for a lot of marketers automotive designers/design managers/product planners who are used to defending the status quo, but it’s truly the best option.

If you’re not happy with what you’ve got, what radical changes are you willing to make to change what you’re getting?

Quote adapted from Seth Godin

It wasn’t so long ago that I was talking about the need for designers and their employers to be making the most of the crummy situation in which we find ourselves and I think Seth’s recent posting on change really adds weight to my argument.

If this downturn is showing us anything it’s that the traditional ways of engaging with clients and customers are no longer effective. Many industries have recognised this already but the automotive planet revolves at a slower pace and with far greater inertia.

If we’re to continue to do what we love doing, we’re going to have to respond rapidly and in far more imaginative ways than we have been so far. Cutting brands and slashing jobs alone won’t do it. Halting development, as many are, is not the solution either. You may need to reassess exactly what you are developing, but when the money starts flowing, you’re going to need remarkable products to bounce back. Don’t let this mess get you down, use it to drive your creativity and sow the seeds of lasting, positive change.

[Source: Seth Godin]

Filed under: Branding, Car, Design Strategy, Philosophy, Quote of the Day, Things I like, Design Strategy, Positive Change, Seth Godin

Facebook owns your soul (and your photos too)

The more I read, the stronger my fears grow. Call me paranoid, but the latest storm brewing in Facebook land had the hairs on the back of my neck dancing a merry jig.

Two weeks ago Facebook made a change to its terms and conditions regarding ownership of posted content. As far as I can glean, the new conditions stated that Facebook becomes the owner of all uploaded personal content (photos, videos, comments, notes and the like) and this ownership continues should I decide to delete my account. So even if I wanted to opt out, I couldn’t.

I say couldn’t because upon logging in this morning there was a message stating “…we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised.” Damn straight you’ll resolve them. Whether it’s for our benefit remains to be seen. Here is the paragraph at the centre of the furore:

 

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof. 

 

What’s most galling is that these changes were introduced on the sly. I challenge any of my readers to have noticed this transfer of ownership being communicated through Facebook itself.

I’ll admit that have been a willing participant in the Facebook phenomenon. My patience is being sorely tested, however, as the broader implications of my online presence become more obvious. Put it down to the benefit of 20:20 hindsight. If I lose ownership of my content it will be the last straw.

 The problem is, as a person who deals in new cultural trends and observing society’s reaction to the world at large, if I lock myself out I lose this valuable stream of information. As with so many of my generation, I want to have my cake and eat it too…

Play safe people and make sure you go through your Facebook security settings and lock it down. Apparently it’s the only way you have of clinging on to your data.

Filed under: Photography, Social Media, Things I Hate, Web, Facebook, Facebook Owns Your Photos, Photos, Privacy