The Fiat-sponsored ‘Two of a Kind’ project at the Royal College of Art (RCA) culminated with the announcement of ten winners last week. The project saw 51 RCA students across various design disciplines participate in a near-term project to redesign the Fiat 500 and Panda for the year 2020.
Students from the vehicle design course devised the interior and exterior designs of the next generation vehicles with the help of their peers enrolled in the interaction and materials design programs.
The interdisciplinary teams went to work on developing new solutions for the 500 and Panda’s exterior and interior designs, integrating innovative, immediate ideas in various areas, such as interactivity, digital interface, sustainability and global appeal. Divided into seven groups for each model, each project had to take various markets into account while also respecting the core stylistic features of the Fiat brand.
Here is a brief summary of the winners and their projects below:
Fiat 500
500 Spresso concept
Design Team: Henri Peugeot (exterior); Alexander Ibbett (interior); Liza Ricciardi (textile design)
The coffee-inspired interior of the Fiat ‘500 Spresso’ earned Alexander Ibbett (interior design) and Liza Ricciardi (textile design) an award each. The concept builds on the Nespresso coffee boutique business model, offering would-be customers a personalized buying experience through a dedicated store.
Cheerfully Irresponsible concept
Design Team: Kym Moorhouse (exterior); Pierre Andlauer (interior); Sophie Zajicek (textile design)
Pierre Andlauer’s futuristic interior treatment of the ‘Cheerfully Irresponsible’ proposal also caught the eye of the judges. The three-seat interior is covered in technical textiles and can be adapted in different ways. As the concept is devoid of a roof, the soft seating formed over the interior structure is waterproof thanks to a super hydrophobic spray over materials. There are also contrasting colorways: Red is for the tactile elements and the seat accents, while the green parts are functional elements such as the storage areas.
500 Experience concept
Design Team: Yalim Erkaya (exterior); Akash Patel (interior); Jennifer Green (textile design); Adam Peacock (design interaction)
Adam Peacock’s virtual dashboard concept for the ‘500 Experience’ project won the judge’s votes for striking the right balance between futurism and realism. All of the vehicle’s functions — including seat adjustments and climate control — can be adjusted through a user’s mobile device rather than an integrated system to minimize dashboard clutter.
Super Normale concept
Design Team: Hoe Young Hwang (exterior); Franklin Brown (interior); Jessica Hymas (textile design); Jennifer Marone (design interaction); Jaana Tarma (service design)
A special award was presented to Hoe Young Hwang in recognition of his exceptional work on the Fiat 500+ design proposal, which included a clay model of his ‘Super Normale’ exterior design.
