The former General Motors Research Laboratory on 460 W. Baltimore, in known as the Argonaut Building, designed by legendary architect Albert Kahn. It was here that GM established its designers as company leaders, making the shape of the car, outside and in, forever interesting. The College of Creative Studies, an art school that is also one of the preeminent schools for car design in the world, has claimed the building along with a $145 million-dollar refurbishment, as home for it’s transportation design program.
Design is indeed back in fashion.
Chrysler unveiled it’s long-term plans today and the first presentation established the definitive tone — it starts with the way things look and feel, so eloquently put as “soul by design.”
Well it’s not widely-touted, most cars feature similar technology, differentiated by function, space and performance demands. With the race to build leaner cars as a global mandate, car companies are joining together to work with universities and research institutions to make cleaner cars — that’s in everyone’s best interest. The point of differentiation, personality and style left to the consumer comes down to the outline — car design. Hello car, welcome to the era of car design.
Leading off in the unveiling of Chrysler’s comeback plan was Ralph Gilles, the creator of the Chrysler 300C, a beacon in the Chrysler brand’s recent years, who now wears the hefty title — President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Car Brand, Chrysler Group LLC Senior Vice President – Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC. His presentation laid out the premise on how the company will proceed with it’s message. It was the beginning of a detailed six-hour session that included an overview from Chrysler’s new management team. But, before power train, pricing, safety quality, design was laid out as paramount. Not design for the young, the old, or women, but design by lifestyles. He covered the sweet and simple, fun and practical, uptown luxury, ultimate performance, thrill seeker, and extrovert — the way Chrysler designer view our lives. Chrysler is not alone in promoting a designer into a prominent decision making. GM has made product designer the head of the Cadillac brand.
We are on the crest of a design renaissance, which will really hit as these industry leaders bring new products to market in the coming years, and this is good thing. Design is about more than aesthetics. It’s about self-expression. It’s about how we express ourselves. It’s about individuality and personal identification. It’s sending the message that it’s okay to be different.
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