We pose the same questions to three very different designers – Ian Callum from Jaguar, Shiro Nakamura from Nissan, and Ehab Kaoud from Ford – and get surprisingly similar answers. While their design philosophies may be very different, they all started out by sketching cars as kids, look towards architecture for inspiration, and feel design is currently scaling new heights. Read on for more:
Which car design has influenced and inspired you the most?
Ian Callum: Two designers. Giugiaro during the 70’s and 80’s, especially the MKI Golf – it’s one of the most perfect pieces of design ever, and, in some ways, he never surpassed that really. He understood form, he understood the crispness – I just love the clarity of his work, and he was very precise, very clear, and he just broke away from the fashion of the time. The other designer who had a huge influence on me was Bill Mitchell of General Motors during the 60’s. The GM cars of that time, including the British GM cars (the Vauxhalls) were, to me, very inspiring – 70’s Vauxhall’s in particular. And Chevrolet’s of that time, of course, the Buick Riviera, is another one that I thought was one of the best designs. The Stingray Corvette, the Oldsmobile Tornado, the cars of that era were so beautiful – they made a distinct impression.
Shiro Nakamura: Actually, when I was younger, in the 1960’s, it was Pininfarina – not their current designs, but their 60’s designs. Then there was Bill Mitchell of GM, and in the 1970’s Giugiaro – those impressed me a lot when I was younger. Cars like the Ferrari 250 GTO, 275 GTB definitely left an impression.
Ehab Kaoud: I really like the Ford GT, both the original and the modern reinterpretation. Personally, I would love to own the new one, but I can’t afford it. That is one car that really inspired me. That car, its proportions – you can’t get better proportions than that.
What’s your design philosophy?
IC: The basic design philosophy is, first of all, the big picture – get the big picture right. A lot of my designers tend to rush into the details without taking a step back and looking at the big picture. And I think that is probably my strength. Before we get into the details, lamps, grilles or sections of the car, I want to get the proportions of the car as exciting as possible. I will go and negotiate to make sure that I get the overhangs as best as we can get them. The F-Type, for instance, we shrunk it down by about 30mm from our given target, and that was just through millimeter-by-millimeter negotiation to get it absolutely the right size. So, that’s the first thing, the big picture – the proportion of the car, because that’s what you see, that’s what pulls your eye in. Then after that, always have two or three beautiful lines on the car that you can just enjoy – somewhere along the car, give it some character, give it some spirit. And, finally, I like to keep the surfacing as tidy as possible, as pure as possible – that’s always been my design philosophy.
SN: It’s not easy to say, as I have several different brands under me, and it varies from brand to brand. But, to me, basically, design is about communication – communication between the brand and the customer. How do we connect to the customer with a simple statement? Not simple design, but a simple statement that is the design philosophy – consistently making a simple statement. Sometimes the design can be complicated, but that means the statement is more emotional. That is my basic philosophy.
EK: For me, number one is proportion – that is the biggest priority. Because once you have the proportions right, you have the wheels in the right place, the stance right, and the relationship of the glasshouse to the body, and to the overall height. Once you have those, the right ingredients in place, the rest of it is simple – it’s like icing on the cake. Its simply adding a crease line here, a feature line there, that’s simple. But, number one is proportion. If that’s right, if you get the fundamentals right, the rest of it is easy.
What other forms of design inspire you?
IC: Depends on my moment in life really. I’m designing a house at the moment, so I’m looking at interiors and am just discovering a whole new world. I’ve always been very aware of architectural interiors, but when you really start to study it in detail, you start to discover there’s a lot happening out there. But I look for anything. I love photographs, and I love black & white pictures – I love the simplicity. I always look for that certain statement of simplicity. I love Bauhaus furniture, because it has that beautiful elegance about it. For me, I’m always attracted to that sense of boldness and simplicity. If it gets too detailed and too fussy, I can’t see the big statement and I get bored – funnily enough!
SN: I personally like architecture a lot, and find seeing good architecture very stimulating. In fact, I’ve done a lot of architecture at Nissan – like the headquarters, design center, even this booth at the Auto Expo has been done by me. Of course, we have a special architect and team for such things, but I always work together with them from concept to execution. So, to me, architecture is very enjoyable and stimulating to see. Also, architecture has a long history, and it varies from region-to-region. At certain places, it’s interesting to observe the old and the new architecture side-by-side.
EK: Frankly anything – be it a photograph of something in nature, or products, maybe a detail within a product. I look at stuff like that all the time, and wonder if I can use that detail somewhere. Architecture, I think there’s a lot of creative architecture work that’s going on. I may see a certain thing, and think I could use it on a tail lamp or a head lamp to create something new and fresh. And that kind of triggers one idea after another, and all of a sudden you have something finished.
How did you get into car design?
IC: Through a lot of struggle actually. I wanted to be a car designer from the age of four. When I went to primary school at the age of five, I took a drawing of a car to the teacher, and said that when I grow up I’m going to be a car designer – I remember that distinctly. I don’t remember a lot of what led me to that, other than that my grandfather loves cars, and he would encourage me to tell him the names of cars – usual sort of kid stuff. I had a cousin of my mother’s, an engineer, who taught me how to properly draw wheels at a very young age and that was a catalyst. Once you can conquer that, it kind of sets you off. The other thing is, when I was very young, I used to sit around the house and draw things. I didn’t want to draw flowers, or people, or faces. I wanted to draw vacuum cleaners, chairs – you know, an object. And I did that from a very young age. For my fourth birthday, my father gifted me a drawing board that I could stand at and draw. Eventually, I went through the whole process of finding the right education, which was difficult in those days.
When I said I wanted to be a car designer, they just laughed at me at school. But I found Industrial Design at Glasgow, and that got me on to the first step.
SN: Ever since I was a kid, I liked cars. I was always drawing cars, and very naturally I made a decision to enter car design.
EK: I always wanted to design cars ever since I was a little kid. I’m from Egypt, and moved to the US when I was 12. When we first moved, we had a ’52 Cadillac and that car got me interested in cars. My mother went to art school. She’s an artist, and that’s where my leaning towards arts comes from. But ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to design cars.
If you weren’t constrained by safety and other regulations, how would your existing designs be different?
IC: You know, they would probably be a lot sleeker. A lot more expressive, a bit like an E-Type – maybe not as rounded, but certainly a bit more expression to it, more dramatic forms like the older cars did have. However, at the end of the day, design means taking all the facts and dealing with it. When the guys working with me complain about meeting regulations, and they become tougher all the time, I tell them that this is what you’re here for – you have to deal with it. Don’t think of it as a bad thing, because actually it’s a good thing. Cars are safer now than they ever were, and that’s not by coincidence – it’s by regulation. And so, you have to confront it, and find a way through it – that’s what design is. I love that. I love problem solving.
SN: Safety regulations are always a headache for car designers, its very difficult. Today, the pedestrian safety requirements are so stringent. However, in the 70’s, the safety bumper in the US was a very ugly solution to this problem. Those same regulations exist even today, but you don’t see the solutions any more – because we’ve found clever ideas to meet the regulations, and still retain the design with the help of our engineering colleagues. So, when the safety regulations were first introduced we had a lot of difficulty, but after you’ve tried various solutions along with our engineers, we’ve worked out how you can make the design look the way it needs to and yet meet the safety regulations. So, basically, what we need is time – time to research, understand, and overcome the design problems.
EK: I don’t see safety and regulations necessarily as restraining, I see them as potential for being more creative. They’re not necessarily issues that create a problem. They are challenges, but this is the business we’re in. We want to be creative, and work around these things and come up with creative ways to deal with them. So, they are challenges, but that’s good because it allows you to be more innovative.
Which era of car design has been the most innovative?
IC: I think now. Technically, definitely now. Aesthetically, I think, probably now as well. People say cars all look the same, but you look round the street, cars are completely different now – from an SUV to a Mini, to a Nano, to a Rolls-Royce, I mean they’re all different design languages, different functions. You’ve got hatchbacks, four-door coupes, two-doors, I think its hugely exciting at the moment. I think we’re in a golden era of design, because we have to be. And the other thing I’ve noticed in the past five years, the world even politically has woken up to the power of design – you know, it can actually turn the company around. Somebody once said to me, “How important do you think your job is?” I said, “I can ruin this company in four years.” That’s how important it is. And he looked at me rather shocked, and said, “You’re not going to?” And I said, “Of course I’m not going to – not voluntarily anyway!”
SN: Not necessarily innovative, but the most beautiful and attractive were the 1960’s, and maybe today. Also, all manufacturers are pushing a lot on the design aspect. The 60’s and 70’s were design revolutions, the 80’s saw design take a decline, and now design has once again started to scale new heights.
EK: I think, in terms of being innovative, and being very creative, maybe to the point where it was a bit too much, it was the ‘50’s – where you had the big fins, and the jet style exhausts, things that were way, way out there. But I do think that things are becoming more innovative now, and you see that a lot of the cars coming out now have much more character than ever before. So innovation is coming back. Not in the same way as it used to be in the 50’s, so it’s not in a very flamboyant way, but in a relevant way. So, its innovative with relevancy that relates to the customers, and relates to the time we’re living in.
Other than from your own range, which current automotive designs do you consider to be well executed?
IC: I like Audi’s a lot. I love the way they’re detailed. I’ve always found them quite inspiring. I like what is happening at Kia with Peter Schryer – he’s a good friend of mine, and he’s doing great stuff. I think the biggest mistake Audi ever made was letting him go, and I think they know that too. I’ve always liked Porsche’s, that’s a personal thing. And I have to say I like what’s happening at Ford, because my brother – Moray Callum – is looking after that.
SN: This is always a difficult question, since there is not just one manufacturer that stands out, since many companies are doing very well. But the most remarkable transformation has to be the Korean manufacturers – 10 years ago and today are completely different worlds. Even the Europeans are very strong and very consistent. The US manufacturers too are getting better – a few years ago they were on verge of dying, and now look at how strong they are. Of course, there’s Japan, and Japan is also now coming back.
EK: I think Audi does very well, BMW too – actually most of the German brands do design extremely well. But each one of them has their own tastes. Audi and VW, for instance, are all about the details – and everything is just absolutely precise. BMW’s are a bit more flamboyant, and the interiors on the new Mercedes’ are fantastic. In fact, I think Mercedes are more innovative on the interiors than they are on the exteriors.
In your own range, which design are you most proud of?
IC: Oh, the F-Type. Actually, I’ve got huge fondness for the XF because it was a turning point – and that will prove to be a major car in Jaguar’s history. We won’t make that revolution again for the next 10 or so years. We’ve made the revolution, we had to – for obvious reasons – and people accept it now, but it’s just my own satisfaction of having got here. But the F-Type is one car that I would buy with my own money.
SN: This is also a very hard question, almost impossible actually! But I think a very iconic design is the GT-R. A very unique supercar, which is outstandingly different in its segment. The Cube is, once again, a stand out design – and the Juke, which is very unique. Maybe if I have to choose one, it would be the Juke. The Juke R, though, is maybe a bit too much – a little too over the top!
EK: I’m really proud of the Figo Concept that we’ve just shown, because there’s no compromise. You look at it, and if we didn’t say it was a sub-4-metre car, no one would’ve asked the question. It looks right. It looks natural, it looks relevant for the market, and that’s exciting to me.
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