Karl Smith

3 weeks ago | cardesignnews.com | Karl Smith

Composites: new opportunities Composites have been discussed for decades as the future of automotive bodies, chassis and other assemblies. But what really works? We ask an expert As we close out our March special topic on new materials, we cannot let the opportunity to speak with a true expert in composite materials pass us by.

1 month ago | cardesignnews.com | Karl Smith

Syd Mead, the late ‘Visual Futurist’, Industrial, and Automotive Designer, and Motion Picture Concept artist, passed away just over five years ago. But his work lives on, not just in the hearts and minds of his many fans, but also in exhibits of his work, which have traveled extensively after the Covid pandemic. This Spring, a major exhibit of his work will be mounted in New York City, at a private gallery on West 26th Street.

2 months ago | cardesignnews.com | Karl Smith

Ideation with Midjourney Our US correspondent, Karl Smith, reports on his experiments with one of the hottest new AI tools Midjourney became available in 2022, and soon became a favourite of gaming and fantasy illustration enthusiasts. Since then it has grown to over 20 million users, and adds about 23,000 users a day. It now boasts one of the largest AI communities – outside of ChatGPT, of course.

2 months ago | cardesignnews.com | Karl Smith

New tools, new workflow: In conversation with Eric Stoddard of Car Design Academy An auto industry veteran has embraced a new generation of tools and now instructs others in emerging methods of design and visualisation Our February Focus on Digital Tools has revealed some emerging “all-stars” of the digital world- most of which are AI programs. But translating these new tools into a productive workflow can be quite a challenge.

2 months ago | cardesignnews.com | Karl Smith

Digital design tools: the state of play in 2025 Software is a constituent part of the modern design studio. We survey a number designers about the state of digital tools, and get some unexpected encouragement from ‘Ratatouille’ It’s 2025. Do you know where your favourite sketching pencil is? Does it even matter? Design studios across all disciplines are increasingly digitising their workflows from conception to manufacturing.