Automotive Designer

Automotive design is a highly specialized field, incorporating various types of engineering, safety, business acumen, and creative talents. The industry is not limited to automobiles but includes all other forms of wheeled-transportation. Auto design involves teamwork; each member contributes from his or her specialized knowledge base. The field is dynamic and ever-changing, offering the designer a high-powered and progressive work environment.

Automotive designers design the appearance, the components, and often to the ergonomics of automobiles and other road vehicles, which may include vans, trucks, motorcycles, and buses. The functional development of a vehicle, including the mechanical, electrical, software, electronic, and safety aspects, are usually completed by a team of automotive engineers, whereas the aesthetics and appearance of the vehicle are left in the talented and artistic hands of an automotive designer.

Most commonly, automotive designers are industrial designers with an art background and creative sensibility.

The design process will most often begin with a consultation between managers, supervisors, and clients who together identify the various requirements of a design. Meetings are usually followed by a great deal of research regarding costs, production, vehicle use, the timeframe for completion, etc., of the proposed design. Once everything has been sorted out, sketches are drawn, typically using CAD software, and final designs are presented.

The job duties of an automobile designer include drafting layouts of automobile components, including fenders, the hood, the lamps, console, doors, mirrors, and more, the assemblies and systems using prototypes, models, and dozens of sketches. Much of the design process involves collaborating with automobile engineers to ensure all calculations and mathematical formulas are correct and that the final design is not only innovative but meets the needs of the consumer and reflects the image of the company.

Although creative talent and artistic ability are a given is you want tobecome an automotive designer , there are also a number of other skills that are equally important. For example, they must be effective communicators, as well as have good listening skills. They must be able to work with others, and take criticism. They must handle deadlines, and work well under stress, find innovative solutions to complex issues, and make every effort to keep up with the changing auto industry, as well as any software and technology used in designing.

Superior writing and drawing skills are imperative, and a foreign language can be a huge asset in the ever-increasing field of international automotive design.

For the most part, an automobile designer will work with a styling team during the design process for each specific model. The team typically consists of a chief designer, exterior designers, and interior designers. There may also be a trim and color designer involved in the process, as well as a clay model team and digital model team. Sometimes all these roles are fulfilled by one designer, but that is very unusual.

Aside from these roles, there will be a studio head, managers, prototype engineers, and others involved in the overall design of each automobile. Sometimes a team can consist of 25 to 40 members.

A designer’s work environment consists of an office or studio. Work spaces will include work tables for sketching, meeting rooms with whiteboards for brainstorming, and computer tables for preparing designs. Sometimes, designers will travel to design centers, testing facilities, client’s workplaces, and manufacturing plants. Most automobile designers work full-time, five days a week, but may be required to work overtime to meet deadlines.

Some, but very few, designers work freelance, as it usually takes a team to see the design process from start to finish. If self-employed, you may work evenings or weekends to meet client’s schedules and may spend a good deal of time looking for new projects. In addition, since many automobile factories and manufacturing plants are overseas,…