Lexus LS Chief Designer Explains His Creative Process

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Lexus LS Chief Designer Explains His Creative Process
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Post-it Note Workflow.
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Lexus Cohen

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The design of the new LS is nice, but the FC concept's design translated to the new LS would make this car a S class killer! My opinion.
 

Ian Schmidt

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Remember, the LF-FC shows the direction *after* the LS500. The next LS refresh will look more like it.
 
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Joaquin Ruhi

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Decades ago (it may have been as far back as the 1970s!) I remember reading that car designers should work on as large as possible a piece of paper because "your ideas and imagination expand when you have a large piece of paper to draw on, and shrink when you sketch them on a small piece of paper" (or words to that effect). I was always a bit skeptical about that advice, since some of the car sketches that I came up with and liked would easily fit in a contemporary Post-It Note.

I find it fascinating that Suga-san turns that advice on its head and urges drawing on Post-It Notes as a means of encouraging deeper thinking and challenging yourself.
 

zeusus

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He is terrible. I'm sorry.

So many basic design mistakes in the new LS.

And what are your design credentials to differentiate a proper design from a design mistake?

Awaiting your informative post.
 
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And what are your design credentials to differentiate a proper design from a design mistake?

Awaiting your informative post.

Okay I'll bite.

#1 rule in flagship sedan design, the core of the car MUST ALWAYS BE STRAIGHT. This gives the car solidity.

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Very crude sketch of what I would do.

The designer's mistakes:

The grill - too large, bottom half is needlessly wavy, and it SHOULD NOT END AT THE BASE OF THE CAR. There should always be space between the grill and the bottom of the car.

The side inlets - Why are they wavy? And again, they should not go all the way to the bottom of the car. These should be as straight and horizontal as possible to give the car visual width.

Belt line/greenhouse - should be STRAIGHT for as far as possible to give the car both solidity and visual length. The D-pillar kink is a Lexus design hallmark and can be kept.

Main side character line - SHOULD BE STRAIGHT and high on the doors. This again gives the car visual solidity.

Noob mistake - you never do the bumper cut line at the top or bottom of the headlights, always in the middle. He has done it at the top.

Very simple rules.

This guy is an idiot and should not be designing luxury cars. At the very least Lexus should send him to some European or American design schools so he can learn the basics of proportions and premium car design.
 
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RAL

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Or maybe he's doing something more explicitly Japanese and your insistence on European/American rules is not valid. I think it looks fine as-is, and I think when it evolves into the LF-FC it'll look even better, but in neither case is it trying to look like American/German standards.
Exactly!
 

Lasse J. Nordvik

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Personally I love the new LS’ design,but more importantly I think it’s wonderful that the design generates strong and divided opinions. That is greatly preferable to a unison shrug of “it’s nice,I guess.” Lexus wants to have their design style generate passion and I’ Say they’re succeeding.
 
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Yeah I don't see your argument. Just because you're used to European or (coughs --> barfs) American design, does not mean there are other ways of designing a car. In fact, this is what suits us. Organic, Japanese, and pulls a lot of natural design elements.

That design you're also referring to? People would have called the spindle grafted on, and hell, that one does not look nearly as good as the 5LS. That rear end, then people would have whined that it looks like the S-Class and they have no ingenuity. Don't blame the Japanese if your boring American car design still has the ancient, boxy layout. Japanese design is always more flowy, more...... natural and sexy. If it wasn't for Japan, American automobiles would still look like they're from the 80's. Nuh uh honey, this is what we appreciate. We don't like to copy, we like difference and uniqueness. If that's a problem for you, then it ain't their problem. We like it, dealers like it, and most of all, CONSUMERS love it too. Just take a glance over at the sales reports. :)

EDIT: P.S Don't just decree that someone should be sent to an American or European studio. That's flat out assimilation. Shame on you. That's someone's hard-work, love and passion that went to designing that car. Hundreds, or maybe thousands of man and woman hours that went in. These cars represent of what Japan is all about. If one day you want something truly Japanese and no, it isn't the sushi that you get at your convenience store (still damn good though and may very well be Japanese), but you either go somewhere or someplace where they give you legit sushi, or you buy a Lexus. True, down to Earth, Japanese craftsmanship.
 
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Yeah I don't see your argument. Just because you're used to European or (coughs --> barfs) American design, does not mean there are other ways of designing a car. In fact, this is what suits us. Organic, Japanese, and pulls a lot of natural design elements.

That design you're also referring to? People would have called the spindle grafted on, and hell, that one does not look nearly as good as the 5LS. That rear end, then people would have whined that it looks like the S-Class and they have no ingenuity. Don't blame the Japanese if your boring American car design still has the ancient, boxy layout. Japanese design is always more flowy, more...... natural and sexy. If it wasn't for Japan, American automobiles would still look like they're from the 80's. Nuh uh honey, this is what we appreciate. We don't like to copy, we like difference and uniqueness. If that's a problem for you, then it ain't their problem. We like it, dealers like it, and most of all, CONSUMERS love it too. Just take a glance over at the sales reports. :)

EDIT: P.S Don't just decree that someone should be sent to an American or European studio. That's flat out assimilation. Shame on you. That's someone's hard-work, love and passion that went to designing that car. Hundreds, or maybe thousands of man and woman hours that went in. These cars represent of what Japan is all about. If one day you want something truly Japanese and no, it isn't the sushi that you get at your convenience store (still damn good though and may very well be Japanese), but you either go somewhere or someplace where they give you legit sushi, or you buy a Lexus. True, down to Earth, Japanese craftsmanship.

The best styled cars are European.

There are rules. There are rules in proportions, rules in surfacing, rules in graphics. You can make Japanese styling while following these fundamental rules.

The Europeans have mastered this to an art. Their understanding of proportions is so good that there are FWD Audis and Volvos that look more RWD at first glance than RWD Lexus sedans. This is because they understand that strong RWD proportions are fundamental to a prestige look that separates prestige cars from everyday Toyota Camrys on the road.

A designer who does not understand these rules should not be designing luxury cars, it's like an Engineer who doesn't understand math is in charge of a bridge. The result will look like a bridge, but it will not be a very good bridge.

The LS500 looks like a luxury car, but it is not a very good luxury car design. It would have been a lot better if the designer understood and adhered to the rules, which are there for a reason.

I really hope the next LS or at least GS will be designed by CALTY Newport.
 
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The best styled cars are European.

There are rules. There are rules in proportions, rules in surfacing, rules in graphics. You can make Japanese styling while following these fundamental rules.

The Europeans have mastered this to an art. Their understanding of proportions is so good that there are FWD Audis and Volvos that look more RWD at first glance than RWD Lexus sedans.

A designer who does not understand these rules should not be designing luxury cars, it's like an Engineer who doesn't understand math is in charge of a bridge. The result will look like a bridge, but it will not be a very good bridge.

The LS500 looks like a luxury car, but it is not a very good luxury car design. It would have been a lot better if the designer understood and adhered to the rules, which are there for a reason.

I really hope the next LS or at least GS will be designed by CALTY Newport.

*sigh* If ya can't teach em, just ignore em. You've literally deflected from everything I said and you just proved me your ignorance. I'm not going to bother to explain why you're wrong. I can see this getting escalated. Someone please take over. I'm out.
 
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*sigh* If ya can't teach em, just ignore em. You've literally deflected from everything I said and you just proved me your ignorance. I'm not going to bother to explain why you're wrong. I can see this getting escalated. Someone please take over. I'm out.

Your core argument is that this is Japanese and what I mentioned is American/European.

I don't agree with this.

I would file it under amateur vs experienced instead of Japanese vs. European/American. The nationality has nothing to do with it.
 

Ian Schmidt

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I would file it under amateur vs experienced instead of Japanese vs. European/American. The nationality has nothing to do with it.

No, you want all premium luxury sedans to clone the S-Class. That's one site over, at "Genesis Genius".
 
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No, you want all premium luxury sedans to clone the S-Class. That's one site over, at "Genesis Genius".

lol no, the S-class may follow the rules but it's not a great design either. And Genesis is a joke.

Try the E38 7er, the original pre-refresh LS600hL, the X350 Jaguar XJ, the new Volvo S90, or even the new Audi A8 minus the FWD proportions.