New-Tech Europe Magazine | April 2017

nature of the dividing lines, in the wheels and body proportions, etc. For example, the strong horizontal and balanced lines in the Skoda versus the curved lines that create a gliding motion around the wheel in the Seat. But above all that there's a special tone. Even the Skoda (which is fabulously designed, in my opinion), with its calm and mild design, is "dynamically designed." It has a strong and dominant shoulder line, a slender thickening above the wheel well and a unique and strong window line. How does the cliché goes? “Make it look like it’s moving even while standing still.” While designing a product for the automotive environment, do we have to accept these rules and premises? Does the navigation screen we added to the car should look like it’s “going 60 mph” even while standing still? Not necessarily. First of all we have to understand the placement of our product in the physical and the conscious space. Are we talking about the interior or the exterior? Is the product adapted to a specific brand or is it supposed to fit a wide range of companies? In my opinion, the rule of the thumb is that if the product is specifically made for a certain car, it should be loyal to the brand’s rules, the genetic code and the values of car design. Now I want to talk about the car interior as a test case. An interior product can be essential (like Awacs, Mobileye) or a by-product (a screen or a camera). It can also be a “stupid” product like a cup holder or a child safety seat. In recent years, the car interior has undergone big changes. The many functions and

operation facilities make the car very crowded, especially the driver’s surroundings. It creates a basic challenge to find enough space, but it’s also a designing challenge. It’s hard to fit a product for a crowded space. It’s especially hard when you have to design a product that will cater to different manufacturers and models. This difficulty leads to a growing propensity to make products designed specifically for a certain model or manufacturer. It’s a challenge and a logistical hurdle cost-wise, but it’s crucial so the clients and distributers will agree to include these products in their cars. Nowadays, professional drivers (truck drivers or cabbies) expect a well-designed product. Obviously these products will be industrial and tougher looking, but there is still an expectation for a meticulous design. Today the industrial products for the car’s interior are less “dynamic” or influenced by a specific manufacturer’s design language. Even such products will have to assume more of the automotive design rules and maybe even find a way to adjust themselves to certain models in order to overcome the consumers’ objections to “messing with their new truck’s design.” Even if our dream won’t come true and Alfa Romeo won’t open a studio in Israel, the growing involvement of the Israeli industry in the vehicle and transport field is an opportunity for design innovations. Local manufacturers and developers should embrace the principles and meticulousness that characterize the car industry as part of endeavoring to involve Israel in the transport revolution that’s coming our way.

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