Lexus has released a short video featuring recent Coventry University Automotive & Transport Design graduate Shahidul Syed Alam, the interior designer responsible for the polarizing Lexus LF-SA concept revealed at the Geneva motor show in March.
Read our previous article on the LF-SA concept here
Now employed by Toyota’s ED² design facility in Nice, France, Alam takes us through his thoughts on the importance of design and talks about some of the elements that are essential in communicating the Lexus design identity.
Starting with the designer’s basic tools — a pencil and paper — he fluidly lays out the foundation of the LF-SA, its basic proportions, layout and outline. Key design details like the Lexus spindle grille are incorporated early in the process, but the design begins in Alam’s head even before he draws the first line. “We believe it’s important to have something unique in the sense of expression of style,” he says.
Starting off with a basic sketch, Alam begins by drafting the foundation of the car — the layout, wheel placement and perspective — before defining its exterior shape. He then goes into creating key design elements such as the grille and adds in design details like badges and lights. Alam then digitizes the sketch, creating a digital render onto which he draws in shadows and highlights.
The video is a brief look at one designer’s approach of working on a new model, but the practice of defining characteristic design elements and creating a vehicle that fits within the ethos of a specific brand is common worldwide. There are numerous factors to consider, but first and foremost are the needs of people in a specific market. Which is why I hope the LF-SA will eventually see the light of day.
