About Transportation Design at Art Center

Art Center's Transportation Design Department has long served as a catalyst for innovation and more than 60 years after its creation, the program continues to be the best educational environment for designers seeking transportation design careers. The curriculum emphasizes key topics such as sustainable mobility and the implications of brand and product life cycle, in addition to styling, comfort, safety and usability.

While best known for the influence Art Center alumni—making up half the world’s transportation designers—have had on automotive design, in recent years the program has taken a broader view of transportation, preparing students for careers in motorcycle, marine, aircraft, commercial transport, personal mobility and public transit design.

Art Center alumni have held the top design positions at the world’s major automotive studios including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Volvo, Ferrari and Lamborghini. Their influence has extended well beyond the automotive industry, with our alumni holding key positions at Harley Davidson, Kawasaki, BMW Motorcycles, Polaris, Volvo Truck, Peterbilt, Bayliner, Tiara Yachts, Boeing and Gulfstream. Hollywood has also benefitted from the talents of our graduates, who have played major roles designing vehicles for Blade Runner, all of the Star Wars movies, Minority Report, Batman and countless other films.

Among the many iconic vehicles that Transportation Design alumni have helped design are the ’57 Chevy, Corvette Stingray, Cobra Daytona Coupe, Mazda Miata, Dodge Viper, new VW Beetle and Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Porsche Boxster and Carrera GT, Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, Ferrari Enzo and hundreds of Hot Wheels. Alumni have also contributed to the design of the Ducati "Monster," Disneyland Monorail, numerous mega yachts—and even the NASA Space Station.

Art Center’s location in Southern California, near more than 23 advanced automotive studios, gives the College a noticeable advantage. Most Transportation Design faculty are practicing designers who come to campus once or twice a week to share their knowledge and professional connections with students. Studios regularly sponsor classroom projects, allowing students to tackle design challenges for real-world clients. Recent projects have included designing a new American supercar for Iconic Motors, a personal transportation vehicle for Ford, mobility solutions for Honda, aerodynamic big rigs for Mack and Volvo Trucks, Lunar Rovers for NASA, and a completely redesigned racing series for Indy Racing League.

In recent years, the Transportation Design Department has continued pushing a broader view of transportation, preparing students for careers in motorcycle, marine, aircraft, commercial transport, personal mobility and public transit design. The program also challenges students to conceive design solutions that consider the environmental as well as social impact of their vehicles. Sustainable mobility, fuel efficiency, and cradle-to-grave lifecycles are just a few of the areas our students investigate. Plans for a Graduate Transportation Design program, scheduled to launch Fall Term 2012, are currently underway.