Designed in Detroit

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

Middlecott Design is a new, Detroit-based, multidisciplinary design firm working in transportation and product design, branding, and graphics. Founded by Brook and Judith Banham in San Francsico in 2008, Middlecott Design moved to Detroit in 2012 as the Motor City’s newest premier-design studio.

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Lacks Enterprises supports Designer Night at the Races™

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

Today we are pleased to announce that this is the 100th post on our site.  And it is only fitting that the subject matter is Lacks Enterprises, Inc.  Lacks has been the key reason Designer Night at the Race™ has become one of the most anticipated Design events of the year, every year.  By the end of April Lacks will have supported 29 events over 7 years.  Thanks to their support more than 600 Designers from 17 different Studios have spent an evening of competition and camaraderie.

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Faster and More Insightful Decisions

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

Many of you know that I race cars as a hobby, and in truth, much of what I have learned at the track can bee brought directly into the conference room.  Lessons like “I am faster if I don’t drive with my eyes constantly on the mirrors” translates into “Don’t spend all your time paying attention to what your competitors are doing, concentrate on what you do best“.  Fast is a theme this week as we profile the people who are making Designer Night at the Races possible.465547_522506164432117_1792226704_o

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Speeding your Product Development Process

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

With Designer Night at the Races™ only 27 days away, getting things done quickly takes on increasing importance.  If your work isn’t finished on-time you have to worry that management won’t let you come out and race.   Purple Platypus, the experts at speeding up your automotive parts manufacturing and product development process, are coming back as a sponsor of the popular karting events and are available to help.  They invite you to stop by their office before the Irvine Event on Wednesday April 10th to check out their Rapid Prototyping expertise.  Purple Platypus is located diagonally across the street from the K1 Speed Center where the racing starts at 6pm.

DaCar-low

Model Car produced with Stratasys 3D Printing Technology

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Better to See you With

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

I have a long love affair with automotive lighting due to the years I spent in the industry (exactly how many I will not put in writing).  Suffice to say I saw firsthand the move from  standardized sealed beams, to replaceable bulb aerodynamic lenses, to reflector optics and clear lenses,  to HID and now LED’s.  At each step along the way we used innovative new technologies to improve the performance only to see limited market acceptance due to high costs and consumer apathy.  But the automakers’ Design Staff took our innovations, tweaked them, and turned them into something desirable (and successful).  The latest example?  Audi’s Design Staff figuring out that lighting technology could allow them to identify their brand at night.  And the entire market is following.  So no more words, just pictures of great looking headlamps……

Acura NSX Concept Headlamp source: American Honda

Acura NSX Concept Headlamp                                                                                        source: American Honda

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Salone di Ginevra 2013 – DANIELE MADIA parte seconda

Posted on March 10, 2013 by

The bodywork at Geneva takes many forms; steel, aluminum, carbon fiber and yes, flesh.  Daniele Madia has the unique ability to capture them all on film in the most professional and artistic of manners.  So whereas I usually spew words on the page (perhaps I should say screen?), I am going to smartly step out of the way and let Daniele’s eye take center stage.  Read on for the best models of the show (with a few cars thrown in)…..

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Salone di Ginevra 2013 – DANIELE MADIA

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

The bad news I endure every February is that workload and family conspire to keep me from making the trek to Geneva for the annual Auto Salon.  The good news is that the readers here don’t have to endure my shaky, fuzzy photos.  And that is thanks to Daniele Madia, who graciously agrees to let us share his visions from the show.  And visions is an apt description as he manages to capture the essence of each new concept without ever providing a simple clear photo of the entire vehicle.  So if you want to see what the new LaFerrari looks like from across the parking lot, feel free to visit Autoblog or our friends at Green Car Design.  But if you really want to see what the new P1 looks like up close, we are the place to see it.

050313 2048x96 WM FERRARI-18

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