How Did The Development of Design Happen On Automobiles?

The topic that I will be talking about is how did the development of the design of automobiles happen. I read a journal essay titled “Development of Art In The Automobiles: Harmony in Color, Design And Fittings In The Cars of Today” which was written by Herbert M. Dawley in 1911 and this essay really is mindblowing to me. Dawley shared his insights and thoughts about the design of automobiles in his time and he made some predictions about the future’s automobiles. Automobiles used to face lots of problems like some parts could easily become broken, the colors are too boring, and the shape of the automobile is neither good for speeding and balancing. These problems were solved only within a short period of time. The automobiles were indeed getting better in Dawley’s time, but as they were becoming more convenient for people, people were also showing more desires to their automobiles. Needs and problems on automobiles were becoming endless. And it was at this point, Dawley realized that there has to be someone who continuously improves automobiles to satisfy people. He also predicted that automobiles will be showing more owners’ distinctiveness, culture, and preference in the future. Dawley was absolutely right, lots of people started to modify their cars and make them look different from others in modern times. And as smartphones became more and more popular in recent decades, people are making cars smarter by installing artificial intelligence on them. 

Maybe we have to admit that people’s desire and greed are what give designers a “surviving space” and help us to explore more in the world of design. If we get stuck in a place during designing, we can try to think of why we are designing this product and this is going to fulfill people’s needs in what way.

Bibliography

DAWLEY, HERBERT M. “DEVELOPMENT OF ART IN THE AUTOMOBILE: HARMONY IN COLOR, DESIGN AND FITTINGS IN THE CARS OF TODAY.” Arts & Decoration (1910-1918), vol. 1, no. 9, 1911, pp. 379–381. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43799908. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

Tampi, Mahesh, and Xiaobo Yang. “Vehicle Cradle Durability Design Development.” SAE Transactions, vol. 114, 2005, pp. 1111–1119. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44725142. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

Er, H. Alpay. “Development Patterns of Industrial Design in the Third World: A Conceptual Model for Newly Industrialized Countries.” Journal of Design History, vol. 10, no. 3, 1997, pp. 293–307. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1316297. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

Hall, Ashley. “Experimental Design: Design Experimentation.” Design Issues, vol. 27, no. 2, 2011, pp. 17–26. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41261930. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

Rowley, Ellen. “Kevin Roche: Design and Development.” Irish Arts Review (2002-), vol. 28, no. 4, 2011, pp. 118–121. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41328933. Accessed 12 Sept. 2020.

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One thought on “How Did The Development of Design Happen On Automobiles?

  1. People’s desires and greed are what give designers a “surviving space” and help us to explore more in the world of design. I totally agree with your idea.

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