Breadvan_update_015: Design renderings

What are the wishes behind the wish

We have shared a large amount of initial, rough ideation sketches last weeks. For our coachbuilding activities of course the initial ideas are very important. Making a bespoke car is all about questioning the question the patron asks. What are the wishes behind the wish? Can the designers do something to make a suitable car design? Which vision does the client truly has in mind?

Doodles and sketches are the experiment

These rough sketches and drawings are made with a simple black BIC pen on a white sheet of A4 paper. They are also often referred to as doodles. These doodles are the experiment, the search which is very broad and open. In one of these many 100’s of sketches, the key sketch will appear: it is the sketch that will define the project. The starting point for another loop of selection and improving. In fact the design process goes from funnel to funnel. After a strong and fierce selection procedure – the funnel – another funnel appears. And again, and again.

Choosing the key sketch

For the eventual clay modelling the coachbuilder needs a whole lot more visual information. The coachbuilding be based on the custom metal frame work we showed last week. However the first sketches do not shown most information. First the key sketch has to be chosen. Its design will then be more and more refined in the sketches that follow. The second step is to fit the design precisely over the actual packaging of the base car. The packaging is wheelbase, track, and other main external and internal dimensions. It represents the technical input for the overall vehicle. It houses everything from the powertrain, chassis and mechanical components. Also the placement of seats and other interior components are part of the packaging.

Tailor-made, personalised car

To present the car in a more refined way, and to develop all volumes, shapes and surfacing the renderings are made to a higher resolution. This is done with more precision in Photoshop. The shapes are now easier to read. In this specific case the renderings will be printed full size. As such they can be used for the measurements taken by the coachbuilder. These are applied to the synthetic automotive clay. Concepts conceived on the boards with ideation sketches are brought to life in the renderings. They truly show the bespoke, unique lines. But even at this phase the experiment has not yet ended. Based on the more finalised design, a new funnel, another chapter of refinement and experiment opens. This is a tailor-made, personalised car. Our Breadvan Hommage should truly reflect the owners wishes. Only through a journey of inspiration and selection can make sure this is achieved.