Thinking Automotive Design 2011

The largest and most important education and research institution of Brazil, the University of São Paulo (USP), has a long tradition of teaching architecture and urban planning through a strong Modernist root. At the same time, the progressiveness of the academic structure always allowed students to take many different directions and the school became reference to art and design education.

Graphic and product design disciplines were always part of the long curriculum of the school of architecture and urbanism (FAU USP), but only five years ago an independent design course was created. Consequently, the same college that had professors like Paulo Mendes da Rocha, a Prizker Architecture Prize winner, also brought about the cinema director Fernando Meirelles, the bossa nova musician Chico Buarque and car designers. From 17th to 20th of October 2011, some of them went back to college for 'Thinking Automotive Design', an international event that has set a new standard for an intellectual approach to the subject at the university.

The four-day summit was chaired by Professor Carlos Zibel, Ari Rocha and Artur Grisanti Mausbach – the last two doctors on car design, from FAU USP and Royal College of Art, respectively. Another dozen educators from different areas of design and urban planning from FAU USP and other colleges of Brazil and abroad joined the debate with industry professionals.

The Brazilian studios of Fiat, Ford and Volkswagen strongly supported the event, sending not only their studio chiefs, but also vehicles to the small exhibition arranged in the place.

The keynote lecture of the forum came from the UK: an inciting presentation by Professor Dale Harrow, Dean of Design at the Royal College of Art. Opening the conference, he highlighted some of the most important problems car design is currently facing, stating: "further than entertaining and seducing, designers need to talk to customers more".

It seemed like that motto echoed throughout the event. The former director of the Brazilian bus coachbuilder Busscar, Marcelo Castilho, declared that the way to innovate in design is through a management that understands and listen to the user.

On the first day of conference, Joao Marcos Ramos, chief designer of Ford Brazil pointed out the importance of understanding the differences of their costumers while designing the new Ford Cargo truck. In an immense country like Brazil, where 2000km separate São Paulo and Ford's Camacari plant, there is a big difference in climate and an even bigger difference in culture.

The great theoretical clash of the day was between Peter Fassbender, director of Fiat Centro Stile Brazil, and Luiz Veiga, design director of Volkswagen Brazil. Veiga stated that there isn't a local identity in car design. Simultaneously, one half of his team works in São Paulo, and the other inside the main VW studio in Wolfsburg, aiming to closely follow the German standard of quality and the latest brand design language. The final product, according to Veiga, must be a Volkswagen, above all.

On the other hand, Fiat Brazil's philosophy is to create a specific line of products to feed Latin America and other emerging markets. Fassbender, the German design director of the Italian company, considers it impossible to develop a design without being enchanted and influenced by the rich Brazilian culture and nature. As an example, the designers from Fiat showed the use of natural materials and local craftsmanship applied to the Fiat Uno Ecology.

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By Artur Grisanti Mausbach