CONCEPT DRAWING

Albert L. Mueller (American, 1927–2009). Ford Nucleon Rear Side View, 1956. Gouache, pastel, prismacolor, brown-line print on vellum; 12 1/2 × 28 1/2 in. (31.8 × 72.4 cm). Collection of Robert L. Edwards and Julie Hyde-Edwards.

The cars we see every day once existed only in a car designer’s imagination. These early ideas are called “concepts” and often don’t look like cars you could drive! Concept drawings help designers think of new possibilities. Use the worksheet on the following page to imagine a new kind of car. It includes design challenges to get your imagination going.

Materials

Pencil, ballpoint pen, markers, crayons, or other drawing materials

Design worksheet below or piece of paper

Your imagination

Share your drawing with us #CarsDIA

We might display it in the exhibition Detroit Style: Car Design in the Motor City, 1950–2020.

CHOOSE A CONCEPT.

A car that …

is easy for someone using a wheelchair to drive

keeps you safe in dangerous weather

is flashy and luxurious

reminds us of the past

will save the environment

an astronaut would drive

DETROIT STYLE: CAR DESIGN IN THE MOTOR CITY, 1950–2020

dia.org/detroitstyle #CarsDIA

DESIGNER: DATE: