A car designer is an essential part of the car manufacturing industry. They not only design how a car looks but how it operates and functions too. They are continually trying to find ways to improve cars, to enhance each model. They work with engineers and designers to create stunning designs, turning them into 3D models. They include everything from the color to the trim. A car designer is a talented and highly professional individual who is focused, dedicated, and has an amazing eye for detail. If you have an artistic streak and are good with engineering and mechanics, then perhaps you have what it takes to become a car designer. Below we look at a few things you can do to help you make it into the car designing profession.

AN INQUIRING MIND

You have to want to be a car designer, and this means that you must read as much as you can about the industry and learn all the time. It is important that you learn all about the latest and most popular trends in the industry. Perhaps you can get a job, or volunteer, or even watch cars being made somewhere. Why not buy old cars and take them apart? If learning about how cars work does not interest you, then maybe this is not the right career path for you. Car designing is not just a job. It is a passion. You have to want to know how everything works and in your head, be thinking up better and improved ways of making something work. You could get a diagram book like a Ford parts diagram and learn all the pieces and parts. The more you know, the more in-depth your knowledge, the better equipped you are to beat the competition and land that role you really want. 

DEVELOP THE SKILLS NEEDED

You may well be naturally talented at the required things like sculpting and designing, but remember that a thousand other people will be too. You need to develop the skills that you have and make them the best. The earlier you start designing cars, the better. So, get that notepad and draw cars and parts. Maybe join a group to hone your skills, a creative design group, or a community online. You also need to understand cars. So, again ensure that you buy old cars and take them apart or get a job in a local garage and learn from the people who do the job. 

SCHOOL

You are going to need higher education, so that means you need to pass school. Look at the grades you need to become a car designer at a university. There isn’t actually a degree that is currently as clear-cut as car designers thought, so be warned. Having the goal of becoming a car designer generally means you need to study something, such as a Batchelor’s degree in one of the following: Industrial Engineering, Transportation Design, Engineering, Mechanical Design, Industrial Design, or Automotive Engineering at the University of your choice. Check each University for their individual entry requirements. But expect to see requirements that include things like science, math, physics, 3D design, design and tech, electronics, and computer science. If you are currently failing the lessons you need, then you need to change your attitude quickly. Otherwise, you are not going to get into the course you want.

YOUR PORTFOLIO

If you want to impress those Ferrari interviewers, for example, then you need to have a great portfolio. Nothing shows these people – who only expect the best – that you have the skills, level of detail, creativity, the innovative mind that they need and, quite frankly, expect more than this body of work. It is a great piece of evidence to show them. You don’t necessarily need professional experience; instead, you can create mock drawings for companies. This is where you need to draw on your knowledge of cars that you have developed from your in-depth study of cars that you have done in your spare time. What this basically means is that you need to create some fabulous designs as if it was your paid job. You really need to convey in your portfolio the idea that you understand and appreciate all the new trends that exist in the automotive industry. You need to show that you understand this and can innovate and make something beautiful and unique that is an upgrade on all previous models, with enhancements and new functionality.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

You will learn how to use a variety of design tools that are complex and difficult to use. These are professional tools that most people do not have a clue about. But this means it may also be difficult for you too. So, you need to do some more work. You have to become proficient in using these tools. So practice makes perfect. The more you know about these tools, the better you don’t know what the interview process entails. You may need to design something there and then. The better you can use the equipment, the better the investment you are. You will need less training for a start. So, research all the tools that car industries use and learn how to use them. 

STAY MOTIVATED

The road to becoming a car designer is a long one. It requires a lot of hard work. So, as mentioned before, if your heart is not in it then maybe it is not the career for you. The reason for this is that there are only so many car designer jobs, and you can guarantee that there are a thousand people out there who are dedicated. So, find a career that you do love if this really is not for you. However, if it is, then you need to always have your goal in mind. But, along the way, when you achieve one of the mini-goals towards your main goal, you should treat yourself in any way you see fit. Treats such as a holiday or a gift to yourself let you know that it is worth all the hard work and that it will pay off in the end. 

Photo Credit: Toyota