Nice description of Auto Designer terms:

courtesy of NYT

Every profession has its lingo. A list of common terms — and a few of the most colorful ones — can come in handy. With cars, words and metal share territory: each brand’s vocabulary of shapes is collectively known as its design language.

The beltline divides the greenhouse, or glassed-in upper body, from the portion that extends down from the window sills. Equally important is the A-line, said Michael Castiglione, principal exterior designer at DaimlerChrysler’s Pacifica studio in Carlsbad, Calif. The A-line runs the length of the body from headlight to taillight, tracing the car’s silhouette. The car may also have a character line, a crease formed in the sheet metal of the sides.

Vehicles are said to have styling cues that prompt viewers to recognize models by their resemblance to other family members — a brand’s characteristic shapes and flourishes, the form of its grille or the arc of the roofline.

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Source:
Body Language: How to Talk the Designers’ Talk
PHIL PATTON
NYT, April 1, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/automobiles/01DESIGN.html

Posted at 06:27 AM in Art & Design, Automobiles | Permalink

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