Automotive design, as a profession, was non-existent until Harley Earl set out to create it. Even today, car design globally comprises a very small group of people. It can be a bit scary when first confronted with the task of designing a car for a major manufacturer - not just sketching one, but putting a design into three dimensions - although help will usually be available. Sculptors, engineers and fellow designers will be on hand to help create and develop solutions as the process begins and then moves to completion. In my 40-year career at GM, I worked on more than 140 design programs. Some were multiple projects where, for example, a four-door sedan would be developed as a two-door sedan, possibly a two-door coupe, and then, very likely, a four-door station wagon. There is limited time available, and it's probable that your work will replace a model already on the market. That model has a limited lifespan and, when that's over, a new version, improved in many ways, has to be ready as its replacement.

An end date will have been established for the release of the design for production. Hundreds of engineers will be waiting for the release data to continue and finalize the engineering and manufacturing work. There will also be a financial factor, with investment funds available for tooling the new model at the proper time. Design is divided into two segments: the initial visual creation; and then the three-dimensional clay model ready for scanning. Every surface is measured, checked and adjusted if necessary, then released for production. Designers follow the process after it is released for production, but that's the relatively easy part. The most critical and difficult part is determining the initial concept and then the artistic theme to pursue. Of an infinite number of possibilities, the right one has to be chosen.

Limited time requires quick work, but sometimes that does not happen easily. Once the release date is fixed, any delay means there will be less time to implement it. The ideal scenario is to have a lot of time to carefully develop the design, in a very sophisticated way, and then take plenty of time to refine it. Most important, though, is making sure it is a cohesive statement with a clear and visible artistic character. Car design can be likened to sculpture, though, for many reasons, not every car is regarded as such. Often, it takes so long to define a theme that the time for refinement is very short, or non-existent. Designers and management may take so long to establish a direction that there's no time left to aesthetically refine and develop, so they do it on the fly and trust that the professionalism of the staff will save the day. Designers will know if the solution meets their expectations, and their standards should be higher than those of management.

Sometimes designers can find a theme very easily, sometimes it's very hard, and, if it's the latter, the time for good execution may have passed. Twice when I was Chief Designer of Chevrolet Two Studio, the solution that went into production was found at the very start of the program. It's hard to imagine, and almost comical to think that a company could spend almost half a billion dollars to build over 300,000 cars based on a single sketch.