The Quiet Art of Automotive Design

Great car design often comes down to restraint. The strongest shapes are the ones where nothing could be added or taken away.

Start with the silhouette

Designers judge a new car first as a shadow. If the profile reads clearly from fifty metres away, the details can follow.

Proportions do most of the work: a long bonnet, a short overhang and wheels pushed to the corners make a car look planted before it moves.

Light and surface do the rest, catching reflections in ways that change as you walk around the car.

Form follows feeling

The best designs make you want to drive before you've opened the door.