As the Sketchbattle has expanded, the amount of potential contestants has grown exponentially. For the first time ever, we are allowing you to choose one of the contestants via an online survey at http://www.sketchbattles.com. Here are our 15 confirmed contestants starting with the only 2-time champion Omar Gonzalez.
Next week the best auto designers in the country are gathering at historic St Andrew’s Hall to determine who is the new Sketchmaster. They will demonstrate their talents in the same place where famous artists have played like Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, The Verve, Nirvana, R.E.M., Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Green Day, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Love and Rockets, the Cramps, and more. In addition to the Sketchbattle, for 2019 we are also bringing a new event to the basement which was featured in the rap battle scene in the movie 8 Mile.
In the midst of the current political climate where it seems the entire population of this country is split right down the middle (are you a carfan or SUVfan?), we thought it would be a good idea to publish a list of sure-fire gift ideas that should work for both sides of that spectrum. And since we did not send out cards this year, please allow me to reuse this card from 20 years ago designed by Chris Horning (with some input) as published by Autoweek Magazine. The caption inside? “It must be Christmas”, it has 900 HP.
NOTE! This is an editorial post and the views expressed do not represent the views of the staff, or the clients of AACS. Also, please excuse the long-winded analysis. I feel this is an important issue and needs to be properly addressed. Also, I don’t have an editor to make me more write in a more concise manner.
My Facebook feed has been swamped the past few weeks as the Detroit Auto Dealers Association made the announcement that the Auto Show will be moving from its traditional January date in 2019, to June for the 2020 event. The move is billed as “transformational”, something I cannot argue. June Detroit weather is as far from January as you can possibly get considering they are 5 months apart. Unfortunately the move triggered my spidey-senses. Through a ton of conversations with industry insiders and experts I respect, I have put together the following analysis which, if you are a supplier, should be serious food for thought.
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“The best part of the name Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment, is the ‘Experiment’ part, because it allows us to do pretty much anything with the event” says founder Brook Banham. Started in 2012, the event changed significantly when Frank Schwartz and AACS came on board in 2014. Over the past few years the event has evolved from a small local get together to an evening party held during the Detroit and Los Angeles International Auto Shows and the SEMA event in Las Vegas. For our first San Francisco event the team behind the Sketchbattle joined with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and The Transportation Research Board (TRB) to bring the live design competition to the engineers and policy makers attending the Automated Vehicles Symposium.
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Frank Schwartz