Car styling is the pinnacle in the world of design and the epicenter of this creative community is in Southern California. Most auto manufacturers have a studio located here and continue work on advanced and next generation vehicles. When one sees BMWs, Mercedes or Hondas on the road, chances are they were originally dreamed up in sunny Southern California.
Three times a year, a cohort of freshly minted designers graduate from Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, California, one of the world's leading car design schools. Students, with backgrounds in everything from illustration to engineering, are drawn here from all corners of the world where they undergo eight accelerated terms, taught by top industry experts. Finally, at the graduation show, they display their vision of the future hoping to send tremors though the industry.
The next generation car designers are taught all aspects of the business through corporate sponsored projects and internships at leading manufacturers. They gain hands on practical experience in sketching, renderings, clay and computer modeling, - in their quest to to infuse passion into the designs. Pay close attention at the shows, and some of the genius that inspired Chris Bangle, Jay May or Henrik Fisker, may spring forth from among the graduates.
Though the styling may be radical, one will not find anti-gravity cars, new means of mobility or other out-of-this-world propulsion ideas. Positioning the graduation projects in a Market - Technology Risk matrix reveals that most concepts are in the incremental innovation category and, in fact, could be directly put into production within years.
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