How to do to Become a Car Designer

Dear friends,

several times I receive questions like "How did you become a car designer? Who told you about the school? What type of difficulties did you encounter?..." and many others that I do not list here.

For this reason I decided to write about my experience.

What did it take to become a car designer? When I was a young boy very passionate about cars I did not have much information about the "how to become a professional in Design field", it was difficult to find the way to know what to do, for example I had no idea about any school or university teaching automobile Design.

At that time some of my school teachers were suggesting to go to Architecture or Engineering university. However; after few visits with a friend I understood that it was not the right way to take. I was resignated to obey to my parents and give it up!

One day I just came across the right car magazine with an incredible article "how students imagine the future of automobiles in California at Art Center College of Design"!

From that day my life changed for the better thanks to my parents' support, too.

I was 19 when I confessed to my father that I wanted to become a car designer. One week earlier I found on a car magazine a great reportage about Car Design and how to study it. All the information I was desperately searching since a year concentrated into a fanthastic article full of photos and useful advices. So I showed it to my parents.

At the beginning my father did not want to listen to me asking me to continue my Economics studies at university. However; after few weeks, several talks, and my mother's action in convincing my dad, my life started seriously to change!

My father told me that I could go study a year the English language in San Francisco, follow a design college to prepare my admission portfolio and try to apply at the Art Center College in Pasadena. He also added that If nothing would have been accomplished I had to return to Italy to get back to my studies.

In September (four months later) I left Italy and I took a plane for my first time full of hopes. It was the 5th of September 1983.

I spent a total of 6 years in USA, when I arrived to ACCD for my entry portfolio admission interview, the committee told me that my works were fine, but I did not have the right school requirements (coming from a foreign country), so the only solution was to go to an American college for 2 extra years!

I did earn my requirements and I was accepted as a full time student at Art Center, I was really happy, I studied hard and being a foreigner it was a little more complicated for me. I worked a lot unless I was out, I did many sleepless nights to finish my projects, I went through real frustration and I also lived amazing moments during my final presentations. I graduated on the 18th of August 1989.

In November of the same year I started to work as designer at Fiat Centro Stile in Turin Italy.

Today I am a Design manager in automotive industry with already 29 years experience and satisfied with the fact that all the hard work served to accomplish the goal. I worked, for about 10 years, with some European design schools teaching, too.

I wanted to give back what I have learned in US, I had the chance to meet a lot of beautiful young people with hopes and talent. I tried to help those that did not have the right information giving tips and advices to find their own way to become designers.

The message here is tha you have to fight for it, to be a car designer is not an easy thing. You need talent, strong will to overcome all sort of problems and negative times, you never give up, you must be disciplined. You need a good design school to improve your skills and talent, its cost is an investement on yourself for your future.

When I am invited for a lecture I often tell about the right steps to make to plan your design student career. It is important to plan it to avoid waste of time and energy.

The design field is very competitive, we cannot find a school just around the corner, and job openings are rare every year. You understand that if you do not make a plan about the right university to choose you risk to fail even before starting.

Let's make the right steps!

Step 1 prepare yourself. Do you draw? Do you paint? Do you feel you have an artistic talent? Do you love designing cars? If so, start putting together your drawing and all materials you made showing your talent and passion. It will be your entry portfolio.

It is important to prepare an entry portfolio it is for your admission aplication. To be accepted by a Design school, you need to prove that you do have the basic requirements to get in. Talent, skills, motivation and passion.

Step 2 select the right school. Today we have more schools than 30 years ago, some are really good and some are just right, some others are really bad (few). Before you decide where to go for a visit make sure you took all necessary information to select at least 3 good ones and try your chance.

Remember that in this case school reputation is the key because it is irelated to automotive companies and a higher rate of employement after diploma.

I wrote several articles about this topic you can easily find here on Hubpages.

Step 3 discipline & sacrifice

The competition among students is very high, every year there are about 1000 students getting their diploma and ready to attack the few job interviews available.

This is the reason I am writing about discipline & sacrifice, because you have to sweat working hard during all school time. Your objective is to improve your skills to exercise your creativity in a professional way. The harder you work the better you get.

The school gives you the tools to exercise and learn, you have to put your daily effort in it.

The final mission is to produce, at the end of your studies, a very good portfolio to seduce those that will watch it (design studios), you can do it following these steps with a strong sense of responsability.

Remember, you are doing it for your future so don't waste the opportunity.

Good luck!