Title: Role of sketching in conceptual design of car styling

Authors: Carole Bouchard, Ameziane Aoussat, Robert Duchamp

Addresses: Laboratory of New Products Design, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers, 151 Bd de l'Hopital, 7013 Paris, France. ' Laboratory of New Products Design, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers, 151 Bd de l'Hopital, 7013 Paris, France. ' Laboratory of New Products Design, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts et Metiers, 151 Bd de l'Hopital, 7013 Paris, France

Abstract: This paper aims at studying the role of sketching in car styling. Prior studies have shown that sketches play a major role in the early phases of design. A definition of the intermediate representations and mental representations will enable a better understanding of how sketches are produced. Two distinct experiments are proposed: a series of interviews of 40 professional car designers and a protocol study with six junior car designers. A comparative study demonstrated that two main phases appear in the specific car design process, including |routine| and |non routine| activities linked with external inspiration sources.

Keywords: sketching activity; conceptual design; mental representations; graphic representations; car styling; automotive styling; automobile industry; vehicle design.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2006.010810

Journal of Design Research, 2006 Vol.5 No.1, pp.116 - 148

Published online: 04 Sep 2006 *

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