Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense.

Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.

This year, the event hosted an international exhibition of thesis projects from automotive design students. Conference speakers chose the best of the 30 projects on display and named Henri von Freyberg, a recent graduate of Pforzheim University's masters course, as the inaugural winner of the Auto Design Prague Talent of the Year award. Here are our highlights of the event:

A stand-out presentation was Julian Thomson's '10 rules for car designers.' Delivered in a humorous and sometimes tongue-in-cheek manner, the advice was nonetheless relevant for students and seasoned professionals alike. It certainly provided scope for a debate as to which rules you'd adhere to and which you'd ignore, and offered a welcome alternative to the more marketing-led talks by other designers:

1) Never listen in class – Thomson confessed that too many class hours were spent in class drawing cars instead of minding the lesson. His advice: never stop drawing.

2) Find someone who will listen to you – Having people who listen without judging, who accept your wild ideas, is critical for your career.

3) If you think you can get away with it, copy stuff – 'Good artists copy, great artists steal': there's merit in finding new expressions for forms that have previously appeared.

4) Work somewhere sunny, or for a nice boss (they are seldom found together) – Thomson admitted he had not always connected with his bosses, but had been very grateful for pleasant working locations (Barcelona, for instance).

5) Don't read too many history books – The study of automotive history can lead to retro design, so keep drawing and striving toward the new.

6) Have a design philosophy, but ignore it – It's good to have your standards and convictions, but be prepared to explore new ideas, new ways of doing things.

7) If in doubt, make up the engineering – Thomson cited the development of the turbine powered Jaguar C-X75 prototype, which was promoted by the design team, but panned by the engineers who claimed that an engine or a driver could be placed in the package, but not both. However, a design for a turbine engine was subsequently developed, solving the problem.

8) If it is good, keep drawing it (someone will listen) – Never give up on a promising concept. If you keep working on it and bring it forth again and again, eventually it will find its audience.

9) Proportions are everything – A principle seemingly self-evident to the designer, but one that cannot be over-emphasized. He encouraged designers to find purity and simplicity in their work.

10) Never listen to marketing – Marketing departments are not the best drivers of design or predictors of the future. Jaguar set trends in the 1960s, but by the 1990s, the marketing team began listening to voices who wished for the 'classic' Jaguar look. The brand stagnated, becoming a heritage marque with no technical or design innovation, and the firm has spent the past decade trying to rectify its mistake.

A number of presenters offered insights into their design processes. With regards to interior design, Volvo, DS, Jaguar and Ferrari represent luxury in different forms, while Qoros is a new mainstream family brand seeking to use luxury to distinguish itself from its competition. Insights into how each brand uses this to inform their respective interior design philosophies were intriguing; the instrument panel and center console, for instance, are used to represent much more than their technical functions:

 Exterior design: an intense process

With regards to exteriors, the importance of how design is a reflection of a brand was a key theme:

Although only in its fourth year, Auto Design Prague has the feel of a much more mature event. In addition to the high quality of the content, the venue itself was compact, which made it easy to talk with professionals and students and offered a welcome alternative to the scrum of press days at the major auto shows. A trip to Prague on 1 October 2015 is worth considering.

Related articles:
Designer Interviews: Julian Thomson, Jaguar director of advanced design 
College exhibition: Pforzheim University Summer 2014 - Masters 

By Karl Smith