Ford Kinetic Design

As a designer, I believe it is important that we articulate and describe what a design language means for a company.

At Ford, a strategic decision has been made to make Ford, a design-led company. The philosophy supporting this, formulated by the Design Team, was to develop a new design language which would visualise the excellent driving dynamics of Ford vehicles and offer our customers much more expressive Ford products than they have been used to.

The notion that a car can look like it is moving, even when it is standing still, led us to consider design elements that convey drama and energy, or ‘energy in motion’. We decided to give this new direction an aesthetic name 'kinetic' and then develop a concept vehicle to launch and convey it.

The result was Iosis – a car that defines ‘kinetic design’ and moves Ford into a new era for intriguing and expressive style. Kinetic design is the design language which will define all our future products and offers customers expressive and compelling design-driven vehicles.

In reality, the first elements of our new design direction were previewed at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show in a vehicle called the SAV Concept. This went on to become the new Ford S-MAX, and you can see clearly how the final design of the production model is faithful to the concept.

But it was the development of Iosis for the 2005 Frankfurt Show that allowed us to define our new Design DNA more clearly, and send a strong message that this DNA, now known as kinetic design, would dramatically change the look of our future products. Before I elaborate on kinetic design specifically, I would like to describe how we, as designers, see the Ford brand. We see ourselves as an international and very human brand – accessible, approachable and bringing people together. In design terms, we often use the imagery of modern architecture and specifically bridges to convey how we connect to people, and how flexible and forward-looking we are.

At the launch of Iosis, we chose the imagery of London’s Millennium Bridge to symbolise that modern vehicle architecture doesn’t have to be rigid and structured. It’s very flexible, it’s very emotional, and the Millennium Bridge in London is very representative of that.

As I said - I believe that design should be explainable. You, as a designer, should be able to articulate what you’re expressing in a car design – there should be no arbitrary surfaces, there should be no arbitrary solutions. A line should do a job when it goes across the vehicle, a surface should fulfil a function, and the design team should be able to explain to you what the function of each line and surface is.

We subdivide design into exterior, interior and also what we call the ambience of design, which is basically defined by colour and materials.

The elements, which comprise exterior design, can be further delineated into the components of vehicle architecture, form language, graphic elements and finally details, which substantiate the whole design.

What do we mean by vehicle architecture? Simply put, it is the technical basis which defines the vehicle and, using Ford’s global shared technologies initiative we have a unique and strong foundation for the development of a range of very different and exciting vehicles with striking proportions, all using a common set of substructures and components.

The vehicle architecture defines the proportions of the vehicle and over these proportions we apply a form language. Our kinetic design form language is determined by dynamic lines spanned by full surfaces. Full surfaces impart a sense of strength, solidity, muscularity and athleticism.

If you look closely at Iosis, you will see how the interplay of light and reflections highlight the dynamic lines of the front hood and how the fullness of the surfacing sets off the bold wheel lips, which are such strong features of the body side.

An athlete, through training, usually has good shoulders, and that is certainly true of Iosis. The strong shoulder is supported by an undercut line running beneath this form. This imparts a sense of dynamic quality and movement, springing from front fender to rear tail light.

Coming to the front of the vehicle, we see what we describe as a three-plane plan view. This is perhaps most clearly visible when you view Iosis from above. The frontal aspect of the vehicle is dominated by a very strong graphic created by the grille apertures, and this is then flanked by the front fenders and lamps that dramatically sweep back to the front wheel arches. While we see the three-plane plan view as a key element of kinetic design and a strong brand character element for Ford, it is actually a result of the latest legislation on pedestrian protection which has been a challenge for all manufacturers in the design of new cars. We have approached this challenge positively and developed the three-plane plan view as a distinctive brand character attribute which will define the front end of all Ford’s future vehicles. Interestingly, this element of three dimensionality actually foreshortens visually the front overhang of the vehicle.

Bold, strong wheel lips enhance the stance of the car on the road and have been an element of Ford’s Design DNA since the first generation Focus, and were something very unique to that vehicle. They were a feature also of the new generation Focus and we have now identified bold wheel lips as a very strong theme which we will develop and integrate in all future Fords.

With the key elements of our expressive form language, defined and developed, we then apply bold graphic elements. Essentially, these are the graphic elements which allow us to brand and identify the car as a Ford.

One very strong graphic element in all vehicles, for example, is what we as designers call the DLO (Day Light Opening) - actually the side window graphic. The DLO on Iosis is very dynamic – at the top, it follows the bow of the roof while at the belt line we have a rising line ending in a very strong kick-up to the C-pillar. This will also become a key element in future Ford designs

Possibly the most important graphic element is the ‘face’ of the vehicle. We have developed the new face of Ford to be easily identifiable even at a great distance. This identity is composed of a very bold inverted trapezoid element for the lower grille, balanced by a premium quality upper grille.

Variations of this graphic theme will be used in all future Fords. In the case of Iosis you can see how two “scoops”, one each side of the inverted trapezoid grille, enhance the ‘sport coupé’ image of the vehicle, and how this theme is echoed throughout the vehicle in details such as the wheels, the exhaust, and the steering wheel.

Bracketing the face we have new headlamp graphics, and these will be differentiated between the model lines. For example, the expressive headlamps of S-MAX we felt were very fitting for a monospace vehicle, whereas in Iosis we see a different graphic definition with its interesting little kick in the upper surfaces with the lamp growing out from the grille all the way to the front fenders. Iosis has a very bold and fresh graphic definition of headlamps.

Equally to the rear, high mounted tail lamps bracket, a license-plate is mounted in a premium location on the rear deck of the vehicle. The angulation of the rear lamps is balanced by a faceted glass contour in the rear screen.

But it is the detailing which consolidates the whole design. We have integrated powerful rocker panels into the form language, and we feel these will plant the vehicle solidly and effectively on the road. Complementing these rocker panels is the surface development in the upper part of the body side, which gives added strength and power to the vehicle profile.

The powerful rocker is balanced by the undercut and shoulder line above it. The result is a very expressive form language on the side of the vehicle – strength in the upper half and solidity in the lower part.

Additionally, we pay great attention to finely detailing the lamps and giving them a jewel-like quality. This not only gives the car a precision look in the day time, but using modern LED technologies creates a brilliant and fascinating effect when illuminated.

Finally, exciting new wheels. Wheels can be very emotive and for our customers, can make a huge difference to the personality of the car. We’re embarking on a new strategy of expressive wheel designs to support each trim level as we introduce our new production vehicles. For example, the exciting wheels that we previewed on the SAV Concept are now in production for S-MAX, and you can expect to see the dramatic Iosis wheels available in the new Mondeo range and – yes, in 20 inches as seen on the Paris show car!

With interior design, we capitalise on our flexible vehicle architectures, and focus on what we call the ‘’definers’’ of the interior - the things that customers first touch, feel and appreciate when they get into the vehicle. Craftsmanship and detailing give a premium feel. We consider ourselves fortunate to have this very advanced vehicle architecture, which not only allows us to develop exciting exterior concepts and production vehicles, but also helps define the shape and style of our interiors.

Key to our interiors is the slim instrument panel which allows us to create a feeling of modernity and dynamism. You can already see this element in production in S-MAX and also concepts like Iosis. The slim instrument panel also enhances the perception of space in the foot well.

Elsewhere in the interior, sweeping forms emulate the expressive form language of the exterior and dynamic split lines, and intriguing and contrasting colour breaks provide the graphic elements which define the vehicle’s compelling interior style.

The flow-through center console, which was a strong element of Iosis, is also a definitive feature of new production vehicles like S-MAX and new Mondeo. This flow-through centre console allows us to position the gear shifter in an ergonomically optimal position - high mounted, close to the steering wheel, easy to use and great to touch.

The principal features supporting the interior design, or the “definers’’ as we’ve called them, are the elements that you experience when you first get into a car. The first thing one usually does is grasp the steering wheel, look at it, feel and appreciate it. Is it something you want to hold? Is it something you would like to sit behind? Is it something that is just great to feel?

 
Martin Smith, Ford of Europe

Then you look through the steering wheel and study your instruments. Here we concentrate on the precision, three-dimensional quality of our instrument clusters, with a combination of analogue and digital instrumentation. The digital screen is placed between the analogue instruments right and left, and is reconfigurable to show both infotainment such as your music choice, and navigation. In the case of Iosis, this digital screen also shows the view displayed by the rearward facing exterior cameras which are put in the place of door mirrors.

Usually your attention then turns to the centre console and the controls for the in-car entertainment and air conditioning systems. Are they appealing to look at? Are they great pieces of design? Is everything intuitive to use? Do they feel right to the touch? In Iosis, for example, the air vents are particularly interesting to use - when you twist the center knob, the whole vent actually opens up like a flower.

The expressiveness of the exterior design is also reflected in the door claddings which are as contoured and sculpted as the exterior door panels on which they are fitted.

Craftsmanship is something we take very seriously, and we are proud of what we have achieved in our latest products. Precision and fine detailing is the key to this. The customer should see and feel the quality of what we do as designers. Completing the whole picture is the ambience of the vehicle. This is created by the selection of colours and materials chosen to enhance our new design language. We look at very expressive surfaces, we look at tactile materials, and we pay special attention to the touch and feel of components.

The inspiration comes from many different sources. For example, structured metallic surfaces were actually the inspiration for the woven floor materials in Iosis. That woven structural quality is balanced then by a variety of luxurious and tactile materials such as graphite tinted leather on the seats combined with contemporary neoprene bolsters in a vivid orange. The third material in Iosis, covering much of the lower areas, is metallic-looking leather we call “oxygen”.

Touch and feel are important too. Consider the steering wheel: Its highly contoured shape is enhanced by the tactile feel of the orange-structured leather. It’s a bold statement and defines the direction of our future steering wheel design. The final detail is interior lighting. For Iosis, we created a new and very dynamic, atmospheric ambient lighting concept using electro-luminescent panels which flow through the roof of the vehicle. As you press the starter button the driver is greeted with a beautiful halo of electro-luminescent light.

In conclusion, you can clearly see how the definition of our ‘kinetic design’ work in concept cars like Iosis, is translating into production vehicles - starting with the S-MAX. We’re encouraged by the reaction in Europe from our customers, dealers and the media, and we have found that the response in Asia is equally enthusiastic. So, Ford’s design future starts here! Look out for a range of exciting new ‘kinetic design’ vehicles as we further develop our presence in the Asian market. The beauty of kinetic design goes beyond its own inherent attractiveness – it is flexible enough to allow us to tailor it, and effectively turn it up or down, depending on the vehicle type, segment or any manufacturing restraints. It also allows us to bridge the geographical distance between our markets and presents ourselves as an international brand. We aim to offer bold Ford vehicles with compelling design bringing people together in all our markets around the world. Ultimately, that is what our products do.

Keywords: Ford Kinetic Design, Energy in motion, Ford Iosis, Ford Design, Ford Mondeo, S-MAX, Ford, Ford of Europe