This post is about my observations on form and function with regards to cars, and attempting to apply those observations to other design challenges, such as shoe design.
As more bubble-shaped hybrid cars have hit the market, I noticed that they followed a similar shape (in order to achieve top aerodynamic efficiency). When I researched it, I found this image confirming that the profile view of these cars are extremely similar (see picture below). While the Prius could be described as dorky and the Volt could be described as stylish, their drag coefficients are within 0.02 of each other.
Volt: a dorky car made stylish by adapting attributes of stylish sedans
What makes the Volt so much better-looking? What stands out to me is that the Volt has contour lines that make it appear like a normal-shaped sedan:
- black line below the windows
- faint contour line stretching between the wheels on the doors
- gray line along bottom runner
- latitudinal headlights and taillights
Conversely, the Prius is more smooth and bubbly-looking without these lines, and the Prius’ lights are more bulb-shaped. Additionally, the Volt has a fake grill, again helping it appear the way we expect cars to appear.
These are just a few observations of aesthetics that were lifted from normal/sporty sedans (like my Malibu example below) and applied to a dorky-shaped streamlined car to make it appear more familiar and stylish (Volt, pictured below on the right side of the equation). My images are pretty small- if you do an image search of these cars, you can view the styling in closer detail.
Applying the form vs. function comparison to other design challenges
One design challenge I am exploring is how to design comfortable yet stylish women’s shoes (I’ll dive deeper into this topic in a later post). As I look at this design challenge, I am making comparisons between practical and stylish shoes in the same way that I compared practical and stylish cars. When researching a new topic (such as shoe design) and trying to spur ideas, I find these types of comparisons especially helpful.
