Why Modern Car Designs Are So Visually Complex | Q&A w/ Pro Designer

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2024
  • Head to squarespace.com/designtheory to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code DESIGNTHEORY . Why are modern car designs so insanely complex and complicated? How do you create a beautiful design? Why are consumer electronics industrial designs so boring?
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    Want to learn more about my work? Check out my portfolio: www.studioello.com
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    0:00 Intro
    0:07 Why Are Modern Car Designs so Busy & Complex?
    3:13 Electronics Are Spying On You
    4:13 How to Create a Beautiful Design
    9:27 Why Nicolas Cage is Great Design Inspiration
    12:08 Which is more important: Form or Function?
    14:20 How to Avoid Decision Fatigue While Designing
    14:50 Elaborate on leather jackets
    16:11 How to Avoid Creative Block
    17:18 How Do You Handle a Clien't That Won't Listen?
    20:10 Is Design Still a Boy's Club?
    20:27 100k trophy unboxing, plus personal questions
    25:30 Shout Outs
    All content written by John Mauriello. Edited by Bradley Heath and John Mauriello. John Mauriello has been working professionally as an industrial designer since 2010. He is an Adjunct Professor of industrial design at California College of the Arts.
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    Bradley Heath (editor): / bradley-heath-032299109
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ความคิดเห็น • 1.1K

  • @budja1501
    @budja1501 ปีที่แล้ว +1596

    Nono, there’s no excuse for the BMW XM. That’s an atrocity.

    • @rafatowers
      @rafatowers ปีที่แล้ว +89

      Agree strongly

    • @scorebatgaming
      @scorebatgaming ปีที่แล้ว +46

      Help i actually kinda dig the visual language 😳😳

    • @wrenn7473
      @wrenn7473 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      I think it looks pretty cool

    • @braunarsch
      @braunarsch ปีที่แล้ว +46

      agreed, it's horrid

    • @aldenroswell8504
      @aldenroswell8504 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      I honestly don't really hate it, looks a little flashy but still looks cool.

  • @pauljs75
    @pauljs75 ปีที่แล้ว +618

    Sometimes it's so over-done that from a distance you question whether a car was in a wreck. Are those panels smashed up or broken? Nope, that's just the crazy angular creases they're going with in the latest model year. Seems that "fractured" has overtaken "flow" in some areas.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +59

      Yeah, I kind of agree. It's honestly too much for me, but it seems like a lot of these cars sell to their target market....so what do I know

    • @alx1338
      @alx1338 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      @@Design.Theory Well actually BMW really messed up with those new designs in comparison to their competitors like Mercedes-Benz or Audi. There was a lot of criticism regarding their new choice of design approach. In my opinion it's like they focused too much on standing out of the market, ignoring the actual risks they are taking. New designs from competitors aren't taking that many risks and try to balance their design in such a way that it stands out and isn't too daring at the same time. Especially in automotive design it's important to adjust a design in such a way, that every change is reasonable and can be understood by taking a look at the overall language.

    • @roddlez
      @roddlez ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@alx1338 Agreed! BMW designs are becoming so polarizing (read: hideous) that the models, the worst offenders, only seldom appear in colors and trims other than those that downplay the design. For example, I see the 4-series coupe and 7-series most often in black with black trim, so as to mask the front kidney shape designs.
      These models were so incredibly popular in previous decades, and now they are just heading in a direction that is difficult to justify with plummeting sales. But this could also be due to so many trading their German cars for Teslas, which I can't argue against!

    • @ravenblackwing7888
      @ravenblackwing7888 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@Design.Theory i kinda like it… but i can understand why others don’t

    • @speculative
      @speculative ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Mazda is a good example of a car company that has "modernized" their cars without losing the plot.

  • @TTTzzzz
    @TTTzzzz ปีที่แล้ว +638

    1) It's generational. Designers have grown up with 'Transformers' and the likes. Many cars look like 30-year-old 14-year-olds have designed them.
    2) With CAD there are no limits. Creases, convoluted curves, air intakes, etc are easy. There is no restriction.
    3) Round is out.
    4) The perception of beauty is less important. Aggression, power, and speed have taken over and exaggerated.

    • @simonhodgetts6530
      @simonhodgetts6530 ปีที่แล้ว +55

      I agree with that - for a while, most SUVs resembled Star Wars stormtrooper helmets from the front view!

    • @beauxr.benoit1374
      @beauxr.benoit1374 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      All that you see is rounded off boxes for the bigger vehicles, all of the sharp edges are gone. The rest of them are eggs and squashed jelly beans. And Super/Hyper cars are all designed the by almost the same computer.

    • @LightsOnMultiMediaMindArts
      @LightsOnMultiMediaMindArts ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@simonhodgetts6530 Bingo!

    • @Random_dud31
      @Random_dud31 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Hold on. Why are you bringing up transformers? Isn't the cars in transformers normal looking? Thats the point of the movie/shows, right?

    • @TTTzzzz
      @TTTzzzz 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      @@Random_dud31 It's not the cars but the things that they became.

  • @anttitube8007
    @anttitube8007 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +122

    Tbh I liked the 1990-2010 styling since you could instantly recognize the brand.

    • @axel3895
      @axel3895 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      But it was mostly plastic bumpers

    • @MrD3000
      @MrD3000 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Things took a hard downturn around 2005 when the beltline on all cars got raised for side impact safety.

    • @f.u.m.o.5669
      @f.u.m.o.5669 6 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I agree. All old Toyotas are so distinct, now I can't seperate them from Hondas. Or Lexus from Hyundai.

  • @andrewnymeyer6186
    @andrewnymeyer6186 ปีที่แล้ว +1083

    I am a car designer at an OEM.
    The problem is actually more process based.
    Yes designers are trying to hide visual weight with extra lines but the main problem is really digital visualization and digital sketching within a car company.
    Internal Visualization standards within automotive design are surprisingly poor. Very often car designers are designing cars for shaders on there computer rather than for reality.
    This then effects sketching.
    Designers forget that cars are essentially mirrors and they design the car as if it is a matte object and add a bunch of extra details/ uncontrolled surfaces to hide this mis understanding.
    Also cars within the studios are only viewed in extremely sterile environments so the existing reflections are incredibly boring therefore causing designers to want to add more interesting reflection patterns that will be completely uncontrollable when the car experiences A more complicated environment.
    Along with this most designers when visualizing a car on the computer arguing it within unrealistic lighting scenarios. Which then impacts sketching and how they think they should sketch a vehicle.
    Also, it is easier to design more features within the vehicle through digital sketching designers feel as though they need to fill the page with more complexity again for getting the environment that the vehicle will live within.
    The companies that rely more on physical models with reflective Dinoc (film designed to cover the clay during reviews) tend to have more simplified designs with better control and more timeless approach.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +169

      Thanks for your insights! Things that look good in sketches don't always look good in real life, but I'm surprised to hear that these sorts of things aren't figured out as soon as you make a model early in the process. I know that every studio is different...but would you say that car designers rarely take their early physical models outdoors early in the process (ideally with dinoc)? I know they do it later in the process with full-scale models, but maybe by that point it's too late?

    • @budja1501
      @budja1501 ปีที่แล้ว +57

      As an aspiring car designer, this is some really good insight into proper design.

    • @MrDecaliostro
      @MrDecaliostro ปีที่แล้ว +7

      It is so true

    • @ghost21501
      @ghost21501 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      This is what I always assumed as an enthusiast. I've seen so many good looking sketches of horrible cars designs. I'm just surprised that these companies have not remedied that. Seems pretty stupid to me.

    • @nougatbitz
      @nougatbitz ปีที่แล้ว +35

      Same basic problem in architecture. The tools determine the design solution in many cases.

  • @DJPGB
    @DJPGB ปีที่แล้ว +47

    I got sucked in by the "modern car design" title, then stayed for the whole video. Lots of good insights. Thanks. Just this: criteria (plural) versus criterion (singular). Those criteria are valid. That criterion is valid.

  • @JohnnyArtPavlou
    @JohnnyArtPavlou ปีที่แล้ว +76

    One of the things that I think is so fascinating is that we are all so visually literate. I mean we are all educated consumers. And in the auto design business… Or the auto business, they’re so good at using certain cues to make things look exotic or expensive or upscale… When it’s basically the same molded plastic tail lights… But they use the clear plastic on the expensive vehicles, and dorky shapes on the cheaper cars. And we’re all aware of it consciously or subconsciously. Not to mention all the special badging. And not to mention the fact that planned obsolescence goes back At least the 1955 with Harvey Earl.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Yup. It wouldn't be hard to make a cheap car look as good as the good ones. But then nobody would buy the good ones. Or maybe it would feel disingenuous. The old toyota celicas are basically just toyota corollas, but with a sportier body. The performance aspects of the car are identical. The Celica didn't sell well, if I recall correctly

    • @spaceman-pe5je
      @spaceman-pe5je ปีที่แล้ว +3

      ​@@Design.Theory I can't be the only one who finds that Kia's recent vehicles don't have *as* dorky lines and shapes as other cars of their price point, right?
      The Kia K5 and the new Sorento, for example. Maybe it's because they don't have an upscale brand that they're scared of losing customers for?

    • @ctrl-alt-bingo
      @ctrl-alt-bingo ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Design.Theory design isnt the reason the celica didnt sell well, the 240z was, although the 240z is the most beautiful car ever made, so maybe design did have a part to play lol ;)

    • @AlexR2648
      @AlexR2648 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You say that as if expensive cars don't have dorky shapes.

    • @JohnnyArtPavlou
      @JohnnyArtPavlou ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@AlexR2648 that’s not what I mean… But I am referring to are the styling cues employed by auto designers and manufacturers to differentiate say, a Cadillac from a Chevy. How to make a Buick look good but not too good.

  • @abhas1
    @abhas1 ปีที่แล้ว +204

    “Beauty is incredibly difficult to achieve in product design, because you have to balance it with functional constraints” 100% accurate, in any field of design

    • @NoQualmsTheArtist
      @NoQualmsTheArtist 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      They never seemed to have a problem with this for the first 60 years of car design. Only since wind tunnels and computers, have cars gotten ugly.

    • @Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman
      @Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@NoQualmsTheArtist¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    • @rikuzonex
      @rikuzonex 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@NoQualmsTheArtist yes cars started to look ugly somewhere in 1980-1990

    • @masterseeker360
      @masterseeker360 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Id rather have the cars be usefull instead of looking like an atrocious outfit from a fashion show

    • @crabbcake
      @crabbcake 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Beauty is not difficult to achieve if it follows functionality. I drive an OLD 4WD SUV because it works - the electronics work - the drivetrain works. You can't achieve beauty when these thing are 'GLOBS OF COMPLEX GARBAGE' THAT is difficult and doesn't appeal to everyone. Only to some with money, some with no common sense.

  • @deansiracusa3966
    @deansiracusa3966 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +129

    As someone who graduated from Art Center College, I’ve always preferred designs that look like they were penned by one person, and pretty.
    You’re spot-on with the different groups at many car company’s design and engineering departments will be in different locations. This often causes disjointed results and it’s so annoying!

    • @ziploc2000
      @ziploc2000 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      WE have a 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan, and the side lines are all straight and parallel, the bottom of the window line runs from driver's mirror back in one clean line.
      In 2012 they added a zigzag behind the rear passenger window for no obvious reason, and I think it looks hideous. I can;t tell if they lowered the roof or raised the door panels, but there's less window to see out of, making it look cramped.

    • @emjayay
      @emjayay 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@ziploc2000 The 2012 looks like two vehicles welded together but the next (current) version continued the zig zag beltline but made the design more cohesive. Based on the current CR-V and (not in the US) Jazz I bet the next Honda Minivan will drop the zig zag and become more anonymous. They don't seem to be able to do a simple cohesive but distinctive design.

  • @elanthys
    @elanthys ปีที่แล้ว +13

    13:39 that's my coffee grinder! 45 years and still works flawlessly. I love its minimalist design.

    • @rogerwilco2
      @rogerwilco2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I think it is a great design.
      I dislike a lot of the "modern" design, where it is hard to figure out where the controls are and what they do.

  • @j.b4342
    @j.b4342 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Still can't believe that these videos are free to watch. There's A LOT of great info here. Thanks!!

    • @manoman0
      @manoman0 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Amazing, right?

    • @YangwanAuto
      @YangwanAuto 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Lol stop overreacting fool

    • @RareGenXer
      @RareGenXer 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      The videos are "free" because we are being tracked all over the web to then be targeted with ads. "When the product is free, you are the product."

  • @ctrl-alt-bingo
    @ctrl-alt-bingo ปีที่แล้ว +147

    An interesting thing to talk about is how the mood of the era influences design, for instance in the 70's everything was about you so cars were flashy, beautiful, and felt opulent, the 80's was about a hopeful futre, naturally there were sleek, boxy, computerized designs, r31 skyline, grand national anyone? The 90's were simply a refinement on the 80's with enhanced futrisim, z32 vs z31 300zx, ect ect, the 2000's were a more melancholy time, so the designs became simpler, and more subdued, the 2010's were more reblious, and angry, so designs reflected that, and in 2022, the cultre has become almost jaded and angry thus cars look the same, but with some futrisim sprinkled in there

    • @Sunnykr275
      @Sunnykr275 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Until 2010 car design were good for me, now it’s kinda look future and complex design which I don’t like IMO

    • @franfinesim
      @franfinesim ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Since 2020. cars look like they came from a trash can

    • @esphilee
      @esphilee 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@Sunnykr275, because these generation of designer grown up watching comic and video game. They don’t get inspiration from nature. That is why their design is comical and cartoonic. The newer generation of buyers too would like this kind of design.

    • @dickJohnsonpeter
      @dickJohnsonpeter 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      ​@@esphileeThis is true. It is important to think of the current generation of car designers and all that implies. I think that they, for the most part, were born in the 90s and really don't remember anything before the 2000's. They probably all grew up in cities, probably never been in nature, the universities they went to probably didn't teach well and were too socio-political. A lot of factors. Another aspect that changed things was the recession starting 2008 and carrying on for about five years. Automobile companies had to push the reset button and design radically changed.

    • @jose6378
      @jose6378 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@user-mf5pv8jo4v I mean, we can discuss the motivations and history of car design and how it has iterated to this point, but outright labeling it all "bad" and then attributing it to things you don't like is peak old man behavior lol. People in the 30s didn't like 50s car design, I guarantee it. Don't forget your tastes are themselves heavily influenced by what was popular when you grew up, whether that means you take influence from it or try to avoid it entirely. Nothing is objectively good looking, either. An opinion cant be objective.

  • @simonhodgetts6530
    @simonhodgetts6530 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Beautiful cars can still be designed - but designers need to be left to design. Look at the Gordon Murray T50, much of Frank Stephenson’s designs, or the work of Kia’s design team. These aren’t awkward or over complicated modern designs. Personally, I do wish that designers would draw and model more - part of the reason why 60s cars were so beautiful was due to the influence of sculpture on industrial design - a lot of the great car designers of the era studied fine art, sculpture or architecture, and this showed in their designs - many were literally moving sculptures, designed to play with light and shadow as they moved down the road.

    • @kaiserberserk3622
      @kaiserberserk3622 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      Completely agree. Sadly most companies won't bother allowing designers to draw more and will prefer using a 3d modeling program to quickly make a design for less money (don't get me wrong, I'm not against 3d modeling, just that it seems most car companies make no effort with their designs made in computers and that's why most cars built nowadays look boring, devoid of any personality and undistinguishable)

    • @YangwanAuto
      @YangwanAuto 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Are you sick?? Kia hyundai design ARE NOT simple + they are ugly

  • @patrickm1533
    @patrickm1533 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    Great video. From experience, simple designs are easy to design, really tough to execute well. You need really tight tolerances to make simple look good and not cheap or crappy. Tight tolerances are expensive and really depends on your supplier. A little strategic complexity goes a long way to make cheaper production look nice. As far as looking good from all angles, I get a lot of success from designing in likely visible perspectives and focusing on attractive silhouettes. Attractive silhouettes make attractive designs.

    • @YangwanAuto
      @YangwanAuto 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      You only said overcomplicated crap

  • @dfcx1
    @dfcx1 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    It's a bit weird to have to make car windows so small they limit visibility for the sake of safety. Only testing crash safety leaves out the avoiding crashes in the first place part.

    • @emjayay
      @emjayay 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      It's not for safety, it's some custom car hot rod image in designer's minds. Subaru Foresters and Honda Jazz have big windows and pass crash tests.

    • @MrBrukmann
      @MrBrukmann 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@emjayay that is an oversimplification of choosing where to put the beltline on a car. it is mostly for safety. you can make everything thinner and cheaper and still pass crash tests if the beltline is at the shoulder.

  • @billmcdonald4335
    @billmcdonald4335 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    One of my favourite examples of great design is the Contax RTS. It came out in the early 1980s, and it looked like no other SLR - it looked _organic._ In every modern DSLR, you'll see echoes of the Contax RTS.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +14

      DSLR's are so incredibly interesting in terms of design. At some point I might do a dedicated video about it.

    • @billmcdonald4335
      @billmcdonald4335 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@Design.Theory Please do! I'd really like to hear your insight - as would many others. The SLR form factor is one of humanity's most brilliant design concepts, imho. Even my entry-level kit feels perfectly designed to fit my hands. I used many SLRs over the years, including the Contax RTS and 139Q. They were the cameras that started the 'bio-look'. Apparently, Canon took on most of the Contax design team in the early 1980s, and put them to work designing their successful T-series SLR bodies. The rest is history.

    • @Tekapeel
      @Tekapeel ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Eh looks like a neutered and less organic spotty f yet came out way later

    • @billmcdonald4335
      @billmcdonald4335 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Tekapeel I'm sure it does to you.

  • @thromboid
    @thromboid ปีที่แล้ว +82

    A pet peeve of mine is the upward sloping window sills on modern (like, last couple of decades) car designs. I find they make it unnecessarily hard for the driver to judge the car's orientation while reversing.

    • @Ben-jq5oo
      @Ben-jq5oo 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      I changed a new car I had “chosen” for this reason, after only 18 months. Not a good financial decision but I realised shortly after the purchase there was something that didn’t work for me when either sitting in or looking at it. The Yaris represented a radical change of direction for Toyota, who had established a studio in France where the Yaris was designed. I found the steep upward waist line claustrophobic and, as you said, limiting rearward visibility. Thankfully this trend seems to have disappeared.

    • @samuelm7338
      @samuelm7338 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

      I’ve noticed that I will actually feel less carsick when the backseat windows are lower, and bigger.

    • @littledovecitydust
      @littledovecitydust 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Most people look at their center screens when reversing

    • @jerbear7952
      @jerbear7952 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      ​@@littledovecitydustmany people still don't have backup cameras.

    • @littledovecitydust
      @littledovecitydust 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@jerbear7952 it's mandatory since 2018.

  • @zaickho8359
    @zaickho8359 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    The fact that you said that people who apply the things you teach in new ways that you couldn't even imagine is kinda funny
    because I have learned a lot from you
    Despite being an aspiring comic book author who had never really given design too much thought before finding your channel.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I would love to see your work! Feel free to share it in the discord (link in description of the vids)

  • @frankmalenfant2828
    @frankmalenfant2828 4 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Thanks for this Q&A. I discovered it just a few days ago and I must say my favorite part of what you create is how humane you present yourself.
    I'm an industrial software engineer in a small business who also was a trash metal bassist for a good part of my life, and my favorite content on TH-cam is from people who just love what they do and are able to convey how their trade makes a difference in our everyday life. Dami Lee does this for Architecture, and you are the first designer who really had me really understand how their work can shape our world.
    The authenticity you bring on screen is refreshing and makes you very relatable. Keep the leather jacket for the shock factor, and keep using bass guitars as examples. 🤘

  • @OxymoronicTonic
    @OxymoronicTonic 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Mate. Of all of the 100,00o subscriber videos I’ve watched yours has bought me the most joy. Its a treasure to get a window into the head of someone who is so passionate about what they do. And to get insight into your journey. Keep up the great work! And great to see you've trebbled your subscribers since you posted this!

  • @FlymanMS
    @FlymanMS ปีที่แล้ว +15

    So nice of Nicolas Cage to stand still during the whole video.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      He is the pinnacle of professionalism.

  • @paulelephant9521
    @paulelephant9521 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Love your attitude. I'm a sound engineer and have been training a few young people recently, and I totally agree about your point about the fact that nearly everyone can teach you something new.
    That greenhorn sound engineer might not know much about compression or setting a gate, but they might be a top notch drummer and be able to teach you how to tune a kick drum for a particular genre of music, and all these tid-bits of knowledge improve my practice.
    Hurrah for Nick Cage too!

    • @echelonrank3927
      @echelonrank3927 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      ure killing the dynamic range man

  • @jesuisjamaiscontent
    @jesuisjamaiscontent 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    There's another reason for all the lines; the search for weight saving means that the metal skin is becoming lighter, therefore in order to give the panel stiffness a fold is incorporated.

    • @echelonrank3927
      @echelonrank3927 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      corrugated iron please 😁

  • @crackedemerald4930
    @crackedemerald4930 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    one car company who's design i appreciate is FIAT, their small (and consitently popular) pickup cars always tend to look good, and i've noticed they're really honest with their grills, not making them the width of the car, just about the width of the radiator itself. You can see that on the boxy Mille / old Uno, their compact economy sedan Sienna, their Pampa, to their newest small pickups.

    • @Martinit0
      @Martinit0 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      and let's not forget the Multipla.

    • @erectiledysfunky8937
      @erectiledysfunky8937 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      it looks ugly as hell

    • @s4nder86
      @s4nder86 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@Martinit0 The most beautiful car of all.

  • @TheGuillohm
    @TheGuillohm 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +21

    I have so much joy driving my 1992 car. The glass house is so big I can see everything. Since I never crash my car I really don't see the need for bug bulky "safer" car. It all depends on your life style.
    I really like your take on form follow function, but function is affected by the perception of the for.
    As for leather, as designers we tend to have a good appreciation for good material. Natural leather is almost eternal. My best snow mittens are from 1956!. The leather never cracked, they are warm at -20 Celcuis! The only thing to fail on them was the stitching.

    • @thememery767
      @thememery767 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      “since i never crash my car” 💀

    • @MartinLewisEsq
      @MartinLewisEsq 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      That nonsense about the design being the result of safety legislation can be ignored

    • @StreetForged
      @StreetForged 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Its pretty wild to compare my 90 volvo 240 and 93 940 to modern cars and see how little progress has been made. The 940 has heated leather seats, heated mirrors, power sunroof/windows, power seat with memory settings, door lights, a locking differential with RWD and a good turn radius, good visibility, very safe even by modern standards, with an engine that regularly makes it to 300+k miles. My friends gf just bought a brand new kia for 10x the price and it doesnt have any of these features.

    • @LGTheOneFreeMan
      @LGTheOneFreeMan 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@StreetForged But we CAN add your heated seats to our subscription service!

  • @tnt2369
    @tnt2369 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    im a big fan of this q&a format, the time spent on each question is perfect for me

  • @maxon1672
    @maxon1672 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    You absolutely NAILED this. Thank you for putting into words something that’s been on my mind for some time now. Great video.

  • @octaviomathias6269
    @octaviomathias6269 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    thanks for the video, John! it's definitely good with so many good content.
    I started following you some months ago and whenever i have time, i dedicate myself to watch and learn with you and your channel

  • @sm00se
    @sm00se ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great vid, a few of these things really landed with me in terms of applying them to my music writing and producing. Thanks :)

  • @prince_nocturne
    @prince_nocturne 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) a lot of what you say also applies to writers like me, at least in some broad strokes, not just visual designers. There are a lot of great concepts and advice given that can apply to both a hobbiest and a pro, especially about how the industry works. While the specifics are different, a lot of the broader ideas are the same across most corporate settings.

  • @saxon4065
    @saxon4065 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I studied I.D. about 35 years ago, your videos are refreshing and informative for all. Thanks for your effort and time.

  • @Keara113
    @Keara113 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Watching you break down the complexity of that car design. ~@6:00. WOW!😱 you can really feel the care and attention that went into the design.🥰

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    A great example of how form over function / the other way round does not make sense is modernist architecture such as brutalism designed around function, yet is less functional than older buildings we consider being designed around form. Overhangs on building were seen as form over function and were deleted from modernist buildings and the 20 years later they realised that buildings with overhangs do not have water ingress and it turned out something considered to be made for form was actually functional as well.

  • @inakab6650
    @inakab6650 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I’m a third year student in Russia (African by birth) I struggle with my studies here due to the language and it’s always nice to find study resources in a language I can fully comprehend

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hey Inakab, of course! Anytime :)

  • @goldenmath4091
    @goldenmath4091 ปีที่แล้ว

    teaching myself design and also my son is doing product design, love the videos
    watching all of them + link's it's great knowledge, thankyou

  • @myownbiggestfan
    @myownbiggestfan 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    MY DUDE. I never realized that I like to design in a Nic Cage manner as well. I like to go balls-out when I can, as long as it fits the work. Also, your answers here are on point. I'm an old-ass veteran designer and you touch on so many things that can be forgotten in the day-to-day, because the lessons have been internalized. Revisiting these points and thinking about them discretely are very helpful.

  • @franson53
    @franson53 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thank you for giving your 100% on making these videos

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey Franson, I appreciate you watching!

  • @TheJenSolo
    @TheJenSolo ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Simplicity is the result of a longer process of refining and editing. It takes a LOT more work to get to simple.

    • @echelonrank3927
      @echelonrank3927 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

      no it dont. just dont bloatware

  • @4rl0ng
    @4rl0ng 10 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I just watched your video about quintessential designs and now I'm in love with your channel. What a gem.

  • @MichalMarko
    @MichalMarko ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Really enjoyed watching the video. Love the authentic vibe!

  • @braunarsch
    @braunarsch ปีที่แล้ว +5

    congrats on getting 100k subscribers! we are a small community (industrial designers) so we always gonna back u up! you're also doing a great service to novice designers or amateurs who would love to become designers :) . regarding the input you get from the youtube community, you should take a look at a community that was doing car design for a decade before shutting down, called Local Motors. I was one of the first members in the site, and it was a great community of car designers and car design enthusiasts, where people collaborated to create new vehicles. a few of them even reached production (Rally fighter, cruiser ebike, etc). If you're interested let me know, i can connect you to some of the past members and people who were running the site :)

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks MisterBraun! Great name btw ;) I'll check out local motors. feel free to email it to me or DM me on my discord about it.

  • @ItsDaJax
    @ItsDaJax ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I've always liked industrial design, especially in homes. If I could ever grasp doing computer rendering, I'd want to be designing such things.

    • @simonhodgetts6530
      @simonhodgetts6530 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      You don’t need computer rendering to design things, just sketch and make forms, use styrofoam, clay, wood, anything. That’s what I did when I studied ID!

  • @G-Confalonieri
    @G-Confalonieri 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Beauty is the form or shape of the object that meets its purpose, such as speed eg, with the least effort or complexity. And thank you for addressing this car design issue since I knew sth was wrong but I wasn't really able to figure it out.

  • @sweettalkinghippie
    @sweettalkinghippie 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm not a creative person but I love your videos. I've begun to see the world in a new way, noticing little things that I'd never noticed before.

  • @alexchannel3187
    @alexchannel3187 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    In 20 years, the Mazda 3 design went from adorable to John Wick.
    Every-time I am on the highway and I spot one, my fight-or-flight kick's in.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I actually love the mazda 3 side profile. but your comment is still A+

    • @Incomudro1963
      @Incomudro1963 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The Mazda 3?
      The Mazda 3 (all current Mazda's) are the exception to the current rule of over the top car design.

  • @hunterklugh5067
    @hunterklugh5067 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Hopefully the design cycle is close to recycling, modern design has become quite predictable & similar.

  • @Citnos
    @Citnos 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That's why I love my 97' Chevy Tracker/ Suzuki Sidekick, such a simple design, simple lines, cohesive proportions

  • @morcap
    @morcap 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    How is this channel not in millions subscribers, again? It has everything from technicality to societal integration with a touch of humor narrated in a sarcastic tone. If you are in a design school of any kind - industrial, digital, etc. - and you are not a subscriber you don't wanna learn. Simple as that.

  • @vitamc1213
    @vitamc1213 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    See, Hyundai is a good example of a car company, with their 2022 i30 and sonata, of a company who has designed a very complex design, but in a simple shell. The angles are crazy for such a mundane sedan; however, it is still attractive to the eye perhaps because of the line flow and surfacing. I think majorly it's the surfacing and line flow that has become so complex.

  • @phil4193
    @phil4193 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I don't buy the argument that they don't know any other way to stand out. Compare BMW's current design language (busy and hyperactive) to Polestar's (sleek and sophisticated). I think Polestar's designs will age much better than BMW's juvenile approach. Both companies are designing vehicles in the same market environment, but one produces designs that are a complete mess, and one generates cars that elegantly incorporate the engineering restrictions into a shape that looks good despite the restrictions. It's a matter of good versus bad decision making.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yeah it's definitely not the only reason. It's just one strategy that many car companies employ. But the other reasons I mention in the video are other contributors

  • @DianosAbael
    @DianosAbael 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Alfa Romeo 33 stradale in my opinion is the best looking car in history.. by various measures. No wonder you took that as an example of elegance, delicacy, balance and feel.
    Kudos to you for the video!

  • @stm22
    @stm22 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you, thank you, for the NCage playlist, especially Adaptation, how could I miss that film all those years!

  • @XenonJohnD
    @XenonJohnD ปีที่แล้ว +10

    A budding designer friend of mine has a theory that up until the 80's cars were quite angular because CAD software of the time could not handle complex curves. After then everything looked like a jelly mould as the software improved and the designers took advantage of all these new features. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this?

    • @EvonneLindiwe
      @EvonneLindiwe ปีที่แล้ว

      Much like Buildings.. like Zaha Hadid, her building were complex and remained unbuilt ( mostly ) until cad caught up.

    • @MMcGee91
      @MMcGee91 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yep. And then in the early 2000s companies relied too much on CAD and the cars became super stiff with no emotion. Not boxy, just....mathematical perhaps?

    • @minoassal
      @minoassal ปีที่แล้ว

      aerodynamics

  • @Caphalem
    @Caphalem 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I'm so bored of the modern car look that even an old Lada is starting to looks pretty nice

  • @kinematics4999
    @kinematics4999 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great Video !!!!! your interest and insights in ID are very authentic and original thats makes your content unique. Traditional Industrial design "was" most common in reference to Objects in general, from a needle to a Ship.... then came "Product Design" which includes APP, I believe today is more jobs demand for Product Design APPS for Cells / Screen devices.
    I personally prefer the Shape /function design as development experience. Maybe some day you can discuss how things are changing. Thanks

  • @Yomamakizmanuts
    @Yomamakizmanuts 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Beauty is beholden in the eyes of the viewer.
    What looks beautiful to one is ugly to another.
    Also, much of the consumer really doesn’t care what a car looks like so long as a it can get them from A to B.

  • @seekwhen1848
    @seekwhen1848 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    oh yes first comment!!

  • @KRawatXP2003
    @KRawatXP2003 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Modern cars looks same

  • @adiboy010
    @adiboy010 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You have a very distinct and outstanding personality.. I like your no care attitude to what other think.. this is the first vid I watched and subd.. ❤ keep going

  • @ajaygill7744
    @ajaygill7744 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    You have such interesting and intrigueing thoughts. Your Channel is definitely a cool find.

  • @johndoeradiok
    @johndoeradiok ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Complex? You mean disgusting?

  • @arpadhaigli6284
    @arpadhaigli6284 ปีที่แล้ว

    Why can't I like this video two times? 😩 really like the content, keep up the good work!

  • @antoinehernandez135
    @antoinehernandez135 ปีที่แล้ว

    Congrats bro, realy love your channel.
    long live!!!

  • @user-bn3qt6vt1l
    @user-bn3qt6vt1l ปีที่แล้ว

    Glad I've found this AWESOME channel !

  • @JMSouchak
    @JMSouchak 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "The client isn't giving you all the information" I love this quote, it applies to so much more than just design.

  • @rosemastinwood1606
    @rosemastinwood1606 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love how this channel makes me think about the world around me differently :)

  • @dinbabwa452
    @dinbabwa452 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This video answers a question I have had for years!

  • @Rorimac67
    @Rorimac67 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I instantly felt in love with the simplistic desigb of the Audi TT when I first saw it. Was on a screen of a colleague and was clear to me THAT will be my next car. Still by far the most beatiful car I ever had. Very simplistic and ALSO very outstanding and unique.

  • @stephenrose1343
    @stephenrose1343 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Excellent video, I'm a painter, your advice has universal value.

  • @FilterYT
    @FilterYT ปีที่แล้ว +1

    "Wild at Heart"
    Nice job with the video, thank you.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว

      It's a great movie. Thanks for watching!

  • @svendkaffke5862
    @svendkaffke5862 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I have no idea what made youtube suggest this video to me, but I'm glad it did it. That was amazingly interesting

  • @lilaclullaby
    @lilaclullaby ปีที่แล้ว

    Appreciate hearing the thought process behind stuff.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว

      lol don't worry, pretty much all design professionals have been involved in these projects in some capacity. You try to steer it in the right direction but it can be difficult

  • @entertainingandfun2719
    @entertainingandfun2719 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    As someone who occasionally disagrees with your statements but is regardless a big a fan of your channel. I must say your articulation of car design is very informed and accurate! I’m a car designer myself so I was thrilled to see your comprehensive understanding. Car design is far more complex than people realize. I am of the opinion that car design has become lost. Everything has become hung up on ensuring profits when cars should be a medium to take chances with creative ideas. Cars are not products they are souls. We must craft them to be so. Even at the expense of “flaws” which we are in desperate need of in today’s age. Flaws do indeed bring passion to the piece. I always reference Alfa Romeo as an icon of this philosophy. Nothing is more emotional than an Alfa. Ferraris are the girls you see in magazines, but Alfas are the ones you fall in love with. All Alfa fans have felt this lure and it’s all because of the humanity their flaws give. Currently I think we’re finally pushing back towards the simplistic sensual designs of old. I’m hoping with EV’s potential for packaging we can finally put aside performance and focus on beauty and proportions once more. When everyone’s suv goes 0-60 in 3 seconds do we really need to prioritize performance? I think not.

  • @JorenVaes
    @JorenVaes 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    A big reason I don't see mentioned is engineering progression: New techniques and materials simply allow us to make cars look more complex because we can mass-manufacture them with this shape.

  • @rivenmotors7981
    @rivenmotors7981 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Algorithm led me here but I stayed for the articulate leather clad presentation. As an amateur (i.e. unpaid) lifelong devotee to design I appreciate insight into the subject. I am a generalist but in any endeavor that I tackle I bring my design ethos into it as much as I am able. Thanks and cheers!

  • @MarkusLinnala
    @MarkusLinnala ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Many new ideas, but my main new insight was using YT as testing platform, kind of unsafe space. And then using any proven concepts in your teaching and project work. Intriguing video all in all. I got here because of algorithm. I hope you get brightest of students.

  • @dksilber9500
    @dksilber9500 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I have nothing to do with design, I am a public official in Germany. I just like good design (and propably may identify good design). And i love your videos. Thank you for doing such great and informative content 🙂🙂

  • @sukhrajhothi1542
    @sukhrajhothi1542 ปีที่แล้ว

    watching your vids inspires me to go and pursue industrial design

  • @samuelbroad11
    @samuelbroad11 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    modern motorcycles also do my head in, basically everything is looking more and more like sports shoes. Complex compound curving triangles, that's it.

  • @sinclairal
    @sinclairal ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I agree with most the things you said except about knowledge. I have never seen a time when a lack of knowledge brought about a good result much less better results than someone would have with knowledge. Every time I as a IDer learn more about a subject, I am much more equipped to design a better solution. Whenever I have tried to design concepts for a problem without a firm understanding of the subject matter- it has resulted in failure or poor results. That includes "novel" ideas- a good designer will have more "novel" and "usable" solutions if they possess more knowledge not the other way around. Would love to hear your thoughts.

  • @corwin32
    @corwin32 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'm a dietitian, a teacher, and a preceptor. Working with newer/upcoming practitioners is a fantastic way to keep my ideas fresh and my knowledge up to date. Few things motivate me as much as someone having a question that would force me to say "...I don't know..."

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey Gordon, thanks for checking out the video! Fellows teachers unite!

  • @john1995
    @john1995 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thank you for answer my question, I appreciate it.

    • @Design.Theory
      @Design.Theory  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Thanks for asking such a great question!!

  • @winstonchiu1746
    @winstonchiu1746 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Awesome video and also funny that the camera locks focus on the Nick Cage cutout.

  • @ajarofpotential
    @ajarofpotential 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    When talking about the red alpha, the green lines look red on the car if you're colourblind. Would've been easy to see if yellow instead using green.😮

  • @martinhodge394
    @martinhodge394 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I love your frank and honest responses. :)

  • @elyasblondlet5862
    @elyasblondlet5862 ปีที่แล้ว

    You actually teach me a lot about design

  • @DanielDimov358
    @DanielDimov358 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wow! I hadn't noticed they used the monument of 1300 years of Bulgaria as a background! Nice! 0:41

  • @aonodensetsu
    @aonodensetsu 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    sometimes the fractured look can also flow well, just in a different way from traditional flow
    i think there is a spectrum to this, and while something like the lucid air i would describe as "languid" and more typically flowy, the hyundai verna also flows in a more sharp, inoffensive way and then on the other side is the non-flowy part of the spectrum

  • @Chewy_GarageBandDad
    @Chewy_GarageBandDad 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    IM halfway through the video and Ive almost gotten the online course, started a savings account for an Alpha Romero, rented (2) N. Cage movies, bought a bass guitar and pulled out my old leather jacket and currently have it on. What will the second half bring? This dude is a genius!1

  • @darshanaalles6780
    @darshanaalles6780 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    awesome video. so much knowledgegained. thank you

  • @silvestersze9968
    @silvestersze9968 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well said. Can’t agree more! 👍🏻👍🏻

  • @jeffharmed1616
    @jeffharmed1616 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for the thought-provoking video. Perhaps “function” via SS folding limitations dominated the cybertruck design and Franz was happy smashing the driver’s window with a ball bearing to vent his discomfort at the abandonment of “form”.
    The model S shape was based on the Mercedes CLS sedan design’ (read “Power Play” by Higgins). Franz extended its shape to the model Y.

  • @ryanwatson3825
    @ryanwatson3825 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    So as someone who works at the BMW X plant I feel some insight might be helpful.
    Simply put cars are really…really complicated in modern designs. If you take any part off of a car to expose internals they will look like a massive mess of wires and bizarre clips and moldings to keep the countless sensors and control wires or lines in the right place. (My heart goes out to those who have to diagnose and fix problems on modern car’s mechanical and electrical) For better or worse our cars are now computers that also are interacting with the real world in real time.
    This is especially true with the XM. It essentially has every possible sensor and option available and it’s frankly quite impressive we’re able to get everything in there we can.
    So to actually get to the point with that context, designing these cars to be different and unique is quite challenging when they are going to be built in the same place and by the same people. There is no “Xm” line or building. So imagine trying to make a sporty and varied looking suv that is going on the same line as other SUV’s, oh and not to mention they have a million codes and standards to follow.
    (Also in person I personally think that a good deal of Xm’s with the right color and wheel look fantastic, though I’ve seen a fair share or rather “fascinating” combinations)

  • @petrvanek6328
    @petrvanek6328 ปีที่แล้ว

    @designtheory This is absolutely great channel. Love your videos !!!

  • @benjaminchen8857
    @benjaminchen8857 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like your harsh high contrast lighting

  • @marcmardu
    @marcmardu ปีที่แล้ว

    The thing that he mentions when talking about creating a beatiful design is what we call Gestalt or Theory of the form. Like usually the most symetrical a face is the most we think its beautiful, the most a product trend to follow this rules the most we trend to think its beautiful.

  • @JamesCoffey
    @JamesCoffey 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    i love how the camera knows that the Cage face is where to focus

  • @agn855
    @agn855 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Complexity is mainly done so it won’t make sense financially to remodel it in case of dents/accidents.
    Replacing whole parts instead of simply iron out whatever "imperfection“ is creating another revenue stream. Only a few years ago you were able to replace headlights on your own (not to mention a light bulb). Not possible today, in some cases you’ve to disassemble parts of the motor only to access it.
    The BMW E30 you’ve showed has become an icon for a reason. It’s "clean" lines are its main staple.
    I own the convertible, and it’s still a "head-turning-device". The visual "Batmobile"-isation of todays cars (attached to the rise of "tank like" SUVs) simply reflects the increasing aggressiveness of a modern society.

  • @user-fo8yb5qc3u
    @user-fo8yb5qc3u 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.

  • @JH-lo9ut
    @JH-lo9ut 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Leather jackets are great. Over time, they take the form of your body and feel like a second skin.
    Like you said, the weight gives some sence of security besides just being comfortable. It's like wearing an armor.
    It is not a style for everyone but that's OK.