I don't know who this guy is, I don't even design cars, I was into architecture for a bit, but just after watching the first 4 minutes I can tell Frank is genuine about his advice, that's something that's hard to find on RU-vid and Social Media in my opinion. Big props to you, you've earned my sub.
bro 'I don't know' is ok but when you know who he is, only respect comes. ONE of the most iconic supercar McLaren P1(my fav) was designed by him not mentioning the other legendary cars like Ferrari FFX, F430 and so on.
Frank! Ive never sent you a design, but honestly what you're doing here is amazing, someone with your experience and portfolio giving free advice! You sir are a Legend and thanks a lot for the invaluable information and guidance. truly appreciated
I shouldn't say anything bad but from a practical perspective, it was made just too edgy. Even hardcore armoured cards/trucks need to dial down the edges . So it does look technical but the work looks really amateurish. The edginess needs some flow
Very great video mr. Stephenson, I'm loving all the content you're providing! I have a question for you, as a car design student, I often find myself looking back at old design eras and styles, wishing we could bring back some of the flair that was made famous decades ago - but especially as students we are always told to never make something that "looks like the past" if you know what I mean. I agree that we as designers should always look to innovate and create something new and original, but at the same time I also really would like to dive into classic approaches to design and keep exploring them, because I truly believe that we haven't come anywhere close to discovering the full potential of any design styles / trends. What is your take on this? Do you often think to yourself "Man it would be great to design this type of car, but with a 50'ies styling or maybe an 80'ies" - not as a modern retro, but as a genuine new car that just makes use of the same philosophies that drove design styles back then. I think in general, having a look at how car design has evolved over the years is a very interesting topic, especially when we consider where design is heading towards in the future.
Im not frank but yeah i think the same. Like cars today all look very mean and agressive and busy, only a few like the Fiat 500 and the Honda E break the rule. you look at cars from the 90s Like the EG and EK Civics, with their not perfect, but simple and good looking design and the RX7 with those very pretty curves that look timeless. They werent agressive looking cars, and in comparison japan is now doing the most extravagant and sharp looking thing they can come up with. This also happened with German and American cars, the only ones i see resisting the trend a bit are british cars, they always had beauty in their design. Anyways, im just wondering what happened in the middle, where cars were pretty and not HOLY SHIT COOL or OMG SO AGRESSIVE. Idk maybe im too fixated on this. Wish the simple lines of rhe 60’s or 90’s came back a little.
Personally i don't think design truly ages; saying "don't use a old design style" is like saying "don't use cubism in your paintings". I'd like to see ultra-light 60's le mans cars like the Porsche 917k and the Abarth 2000 sport spyder come back with fans to improve stability and cornering (modern tires, suspension and chassis are implicit), especially nowdays that everyone seems to try to be lamborghini but electric.
I love your show! You make all of our days a little bit brighter. It’s because of these videos I started modeling cars and buildings. Thank you Frank 😃
Are we going to see a critique of the GMA T.50 and T.50s? To me they seem to be some of the most classically beautiful yet radical designs to have come out in recent years
I have no idea why this video was recommended to me, and I have no idea who Frank is. His critique comes off a little closed minded at first, as if he's basically telling us there's only one right way to do it, but he articulates his point well enough that you can understand that it's not closed mindedness, it's just him knowing how it would be seen by other people in the industry. It's the kind of feedback and criticism you can only get from someone who has clearly had decades of experience in their field. Thank you RU-vid Recommendations for sending me this random gem. Also, that dancing CJ and those other edits. My man is cultured!
Hi Frank, thrilled to be this early to an upload! I absolutely love your videos and sketches. Thank you for giving me a greater appreciation for good design ✨
World Renowned car designer, wears a watch likely worth more than the house I'm sitting in, uses a BIC pen. Interestingly the first thing one of the older students told me on the open day I visited the local Design School was that they uses these too.
Interesting what you said about straight lines looking concave. In antiquity, greek and roman temples were built with this in mind; The pillars were ever so slightly convex and if you look down the long side of the temple, the bottom and roofline (Stylobate & Cornice) were also curved inwards, making the whole temple look perfectly straight inside and out although it actually was kind of a geometric mess. two and a half thousand years later, designers still follow the same principle.
The more I watch this guy, the more I'm starting to understand what my teachers in architecture would teach more. Now, I am grateful for their teachings and what they are doing for me. Thank you Ms. Torres.
I dont even like cars - however what the guy is talking about can easily be translated to character development and design in general. Especially the thing about conflicting design choices and "living" lines/strokes. Cool dude
Hey Frank, thanks again for the great video! Awesome to see these. I am having lots of trouble with perspectives and making them exciting to see. Some help on perspectives and principles would be great. Thanks a lot
What i dislike about hiding the structural elements of the vehicle is that it could get more difficult to cut the A/B/C/D Pillars in case of an accident, were the firedepartment often has to make a cabrio out of a normal car to get people out. And the more hidden and put away those things are, the harder it gets to rescue people... But thats probably what the engineers have to worry about after you desinged the car, i guess?
I would congratulate Zay on his 3-D drawing skills/ way of thinking instead of only criticizing details, the former is far more important for a designer than the later which mostly can be picked up later. The purpose of a mentor should be recognizing talent, in this case by pointing the obvious out and being encouraging. The skill needed for side/front views compared to convincing 3/4 views is like comparing mini golf with a Golf- tournament. Not to say the contender efforts are to be dismissed, IMO they have some good LM/ Xantia vibes to them.
Wrong. You need to put metal into fire to harden it. Thick skin and strong mind muscle can only be developed when put under load and strain. Your way runs a strong tendency to create sub-par and average talent.
Great video Frank l'll have to send a couple of mine in , not so much as a designer but in general. it's interesting to hear another person's point of view
Could we see some of your early sketches or those you did in school and your thought behind them? Perhaps taking one of your early designs up to your current standards?
I'm not even that much interested in car design, it's more like his overall perspective that he is putting into it. There is something free and liberating about it.
I believe many of your viewers including I, would like to see a short explanation of how lines change direction based on the change in perspective. I believe this would be a good lesson for those trying out a different perspective and looking for some guidance. Thanks for the great content as always! Good Day Mr. Frank.
Frank, maybe ponder on the current car design Zeitgeist and what you think drives it. Where does car design go too much "trendy and fashionable" vs keeping a design fresh but timeless. How would you approach this balance?
I wish that the camera was over his shoulder instead of to the side, so we can see the designs right side up and in the right perspective as he works and makes notes
What's the difference between a designer and an engineer? The engineer uses straight lines whenever possible and of course uses a ruler or the straight line feature in the CAD program. The designer avoids a ruler at all cost. I guess in architecture there are different "schools", some love using straight lines throughout and having everything very angular and straight, others go the totally opposite way. I'm an engineer who likes fast, smooth designs (though where I'm coming from is the "straight lines of the 1980s" rather than the bulbous 1950s shapes).
I think Fasil when designing got what Gear-Heads call 19-Civic syndrome, they get so caught up on details that it starts taking away from the car itself.
