Forgot one

Hint of Chrome & Red Numerals

*yawn*

Sherif & Nat colab

Nat suggested I combined a few of my previous directions and after a few quick exchanges, this is what it produced – Nice, one of my favorites (obviously it has the 722)

I was supposed to add a bit of color...

So I went a little crazy haha

More , more and more!

I should add that the sketch below was done emulating a style my very talented friend Jen Choy shared with me – you can see her blog here: Jennifer Choy

and my favorite – I'll probably use this on my business card

More variations and conceptual exploration

Different styles, different directions, more exploration, we shall see

The latest

The latest – different approach from the others - tighter than the loose one, but more emotional I think. Not bad, still have a bit I'd like to improve, but that'll come in time and with experience!

its late... 

Sherif

Some of my work I'm actually proud of

Both similar designs but different approaches towards the same concept. I've actually pretty happy with the way they both turned out, much much more so for the 2nd one (the loose one) b/c it expresses the same feeling without all the stiffness of the other – its more emotional and therefore more exciting. Gotta keep doing more and hopefully I'll have a good end to this term!

Sherif

Validation, inspiration & a life forever changed

For the last year I have spoken with some of you about the future of transportation - more importantly how we can truly change and delve further in to not only the concept of transportation but the physical representation of it. I have, through my dialogue with each of you, grown and realized a vision that is becoming refined more and more each day – but today my life has forever been altered. I don't know how to relate my ideas and understanding of what I'm about to show you – but the future is now a much brighter place... I was brought to tears watching this; something which I have not experienced in many years, over any subject.

The best I can do is to share this simple thought; this is the beginning of the change of how we look at vehicles, how we understand design and what it can do to both elevate and express the user in new ways. I can't even begin to think about what tomorrow will look like when I wake up - things will be soo different from this point forward, this is a quintessential moment in history not only for myself, but for all of us....

Future Watercraft

Behance via NOTCOT

The Nereus is a conceptual watercraft which can operate above and blow the water line. Inspiration was clearly gleaned from a manta-ray but was done quite beautifully. Apparently the designer had chosen to power this vehicle by sail or kite power – I think the design is a little to speedy and sexy for that.

Some of my new favorite art:

The most amazing jet ever

The Su-30 Flanker doing some highly technical maneuvers. 

F1 Steering wheels

Via NOTCOT | oobject.com

And you thought your steering wheels had too many buttons. The people at oobject make a rather astute observation, "The complexity is ubiquitous, all 11 Formula 1 teams produce cars with more or less the same multi button design allowing adjustment and tweaks of traction and aerodynamics from the wheel itself. Unlike a road car, space and focus constraints mean that the entire dashboard is on the steering wheel. This is something that will no doubt be copied, unnecessarily, in consumer cars in future, but would that be a UI improvement?" 

You can find the gallery here 

Lamborghini the lifestyle brand

Lamborghini recently released this video of the new Gallardo LP-560-4, their redesign of the baby (and sometimes questioned to be a genuine) Lambo. It seems from this video that the boys in Italy (and Germany as they are owned by VW/Audi Group), that they are shifting their perspective and trying to create what seems to be a more lifestyle geared branding experience. 

What do I mean by this? Watch the video and notice that the concepts they associate with this vehicle are A) attracting women B) general hoonage C) social climbing/status. Its interesting because none of these have to do with the increased performance or obvious function of the vehicle itself.

This is nothing new – plenty of brands focus their vehicles this way – but I suppose I didn't perceive it to be quite so overt from the Italian camps. Now in contrast – Ferrari is a lifestyle, but a lifestyle of pure, hardcore performance – not about getting phone-numbers. I'm actually really curious about what lifestyle Lamborghini is trying to promote because the substantive value this video suggests is fairly pathetic. 

Lets be honest – the type of individual who puts forth the money for a supercar is generally of a limited scope of marketing profiles. We can assume there is the type of individual who seeks to better his or her life with the purchase of the top type of vehicle – whose very performance and ownership experience and brand history will all factor in to the purchasing decision. In contrast to this we can probably assume that there is the newly rich either rapper, footballer (soccer) or socialite whose barometer of self and brand awareness is a bit off and probably understands that Lamborghinis are cool cars, expensive, look crazy and drive really fast. They buy it because of the reasons mentioned in the paragraph above and they love the attention it brings them. Drive down to Holllywood on any Thurs, Fri, Sat and you will see this guy with his buddy cruising around the strip in his Gallardo trying to pull girls on their way to the club and since the car only has to seats, the girls can casually 'sit on the guys lap.'

Does this move to play directly to the target market instead of the aspirational market serve as a positive choice? In my opinion, it probably devalues the brand because instead of elevating it and how it provides betterment (in real ways) of your life, it just maintains the status quo of what seems to be a garish and shallow group of nouveau-riche, whose primary concerns in life are doing donuts, purchased social status, attracting women on the street and territoriality; all of which are quite simply basest principles. They do nothing to elevate the consumer, nothing to suggest a higher set of values – in fact it I would suggest it probably takes your avg. consumer and brings him down to this unprincipled way of life as it does the brand. 

I suppose in my naivete its easy for me to cast aspersions upon the marketing of such a historic brand. Yet unlike a generally uninformed opinion – my rule is that one should always seek to target the aspirational buyer for any product because you want to promise AND deliver items which serve to inspire, elevate and motivate.

 

I heart Mercedes

I've always had a long standing love affair with Mercedes Benz. I remember growing up and reading one of my first books about cars (something from the 'How things work' series) which featured a 300SL Gullwing. It was over from that point forward – the images stirred something deep within me, resonating in a way little else had... it was as if my blood were tingling inside of me each and every time I would imagine the Gullwing cutting through some sleepy European village, its exhaust note reverberating off the stone walls and cobbled streets. 

Later in life my parents got their first Mercedes, which was a bit odd as my mom had always loved Jaguars... but the car seemed to fit with our family. My curiosity bubbled over one day and I pressed my folks as to why, why this car and not another. I found out that both of them had grown up around Mercedes their entire lives, from their parents owning them to their brothers and sisters, and to them, it only felt right to get one of their own. 

It seems as if it is in our blood, the very molecules within us shining with the 3-pointed star – though this seems like a joke or exaggeration, I have been planning my ownership for ages now and there are few manufacturers that I put under the microscope more than my beloved Mercedes. With each new model, with each corporate decision – I am there, observing, critiquing and opining, as if I know what is best for the brand.

Yet why all of this? Why even bring this up? Because it is this quality that defines Future Classic. True brand loyalty is about a way of life – our avatars, our selves. We enjoy dressing up each day but there are few pieces of clothing in our wardrobe that speak directly to our hearts. It is these that we wear consistently, it is these that give us confidence, it is these that bring our best selves forward, that elevates to our own greater self. Mercedes is a part of that for me... and I hope the vehicles I produce in the future, do the same for you.

Sherif

It has been my growing opinion that it is requisite for any growing brand or enterprise to elevate the human experience to be genuinely successful. Let me first explain that my definition of success is not only in reference to the bottom line but in creating a product or brand that is of a truly lasting quality; a future classic so to speak. Maslow, in princple, was correct in his observation of the stratification of human needs – yet we can take where he left off and expand our understanding by observing truly successful individuals, marks, brand, products and notice that each took steps to elevate the individual past his or her existing status in Maslow's hierarchy and attempted elevate them to the next 'level up,' so to speak. When one can succeed by both offering a product, solution or interaction that is beneficial they have simply creating something 'good,' but when one creates benefit as well as the ability to uplift an individual or culture (not just themselves), they have done something great. 

Hermes does it right

Hermes has joined with Eurocopter to create a new form of Hermes branded transportation (you may remember that they co-branded with Bugatti to create the Hermes Veyron). Amazing. They have a true mastery of generating a full borne lifestyle. I'm stunned. More pictures found here.