Niels van Roij explains the language of the car designer
In this video series, designer Niels van Roij has gone through three basic principles of car design: proportions, surfacing and jewellery. In addition to design reviews, he will go through more similar car design jargon in the coming weeks. Because what do the expressions used by car designers mean and are there good examples to interpret them? In this first episode Niels treats the letters A and B.
a
A-line
The A-line runs over the car and defines the silhouette of the model. It’s the outline, the profile. This line defines the proportional character of a car. The A-line makes the overall appearance of a car square like an old Volvo, slippery like a first-generation TT, tough like a Land Rover Defender or elegant like a Mercedes-Benz CLS.
A, B and C-pillar:
Car designers have a lettering system for the styles that contain the passenger compartment. Starting from the windshield, viewed from the side of the car, this principle starts with the A-pillar. This A-pillar frames the front by the windshield. The B-pillar is where the door edges meet and the C-pillar frames the rear side windows.
Over time, for many manufacturers, especially the C-pillars, the angle they form and the width they have have become essential elements of the brand DNA. The Volkswagen Golf has been a perfect example of this since the first generation. This model has been recognizable for years by the typical C-pillar. The rounded shape of the C-pillar applied to the Porsche 911 is equally typical.
B
beltline:
The beltline is the line that forms the boundary between the body panels of a car and the side windows. The placement of this line says a lot about the character of the car in question. When the beltline is placed low in the body, as with the Fiat Multipla, it gives the car more glass surface. This is pleasant for the occupants and the design also looks friendly and accessible. If the beltline is placed high, as with the Chrysler 300C and many sports cars, the design looks tough, sporty and solid, but noticeably less friendly.
Brand DNA:
The brand DNA, also known as brand DNA, is the essence of the carmaker’s driving force, the identity of the company and the reason it builds cars. It defines what makes the automaker unique and distinctive from its competitors. A well-executed brand DNA gives customers a reason to buy from that particular manufacturer, rather than the rivals. Many of the terms mentioned in this article can be part of a car manufacturer’s brand DNA. That DNA goes much further than just stylistic ideas, they are conceptual concepts. For example, with some brands, the brand DNA is already present in the slogans. Volvo For life and BMW’s Freude am Fahren are two great examples of this.
Brand DNA is the philosophical branch of automotive design: what did it mean for Porsche’s DNA brand that it introduced the Cayenne in 2003? Can and may a sports car brand build an SUV? The philosophy behind a brand appears to be a subject that some people may think has little interest in it, but the above questions still raise strong emotions for many! In that light, what do we think of the Purosangue?
Brightwork
Anything that is chrome or should look like it is covered by brightwork. Nowadays, sportier versions are often provided with brightwork in glossy black. Brightwork is added to a car to improve the appearance, to enrich it, to emphasize things or to put the emphasis elsewhere.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl