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Description
Hey, I'm Jake. I'm from Vancouver, WA, but I currently live in Santa Monica, CA. I'm a freelance industrial designer/ Transportation Design student at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. I get to sketch cars all day. It's pretty freaking awesome. All content © 2010 - present Jason McGinnity. Everything on this blog was created by me unless otherwise noted. To view images large, right click and view image. + JasonMcGinnity.com + Facebook + Flickr + Portfolio + Old Design Blog + design sketches + photography + Art Center Stuff + Questions answered about Art Center Work by Term: + 1st Term + 2nd Term+ 3rd Term+ 4th TermLinks
Hey man, love your designs. I originally went to school to become a mechanic and now I'm kind of bored working on cars. I used to be big into art when I was growing up and used to draw cars all the time. I just wanted to ask, what would I need to do, what school/course would I need to go/do in order to enter the same field as you? Also, how is the auto design industry? Thanks
There are a handful of schools in the world that offer specialized programs in Transportation Design, which is a focus within the industrial design field. Most of the schools are extremely difficult to get into, especially the one I go to - Art Center College of Design. I’ve been sketching my entire life and have been pursuing industrial design since my freshman year of high school. Design schools are never cheap. I pay $17,000 per term and I have to complete 8 terms, and I’ve already been in school for about 5 years. You really, really, have to want it.
So, assuming you are willing to put yourself through that financial burden and pull weekly all-nighters for 3 years, the most important skill you need is sketching. That and a brain filled with an absolutely endless amount of ideas. Transportation is a super specific field. If you’re just interested in finding a great job where you get to design and sketch all day you could try to get yourself into designing shoes. That’s where a lot of car designers end up. Sketching shoes is very similar to sketching cars. You have to put a lot of emotion on the paper and make something that is sitting still look like it is moving. I would be designing shoes right now had I not followed my mentor’s advice and transferred to Art Center.
Aside from that the auto industry from a designer’s perspective is actually picking up. More and more companies like Hyundai/Kia, Ford, and Mazda are focusing on design to reach consumers. Internship numbers at Art Center have jumped substantially the last two or three terms.
Hope that helps :) Let me know if you want to know anything else.
Jake
Post Info
8 months ago.
