Today, we’re excited to announce that Gravity Sketch has sponsored a course at ArtCenter College of Design, challenging Transportation Design students to create the next Jeep Wrangler for automotive manufacturer Stellantis. For the first time in the College’s history, the process for a sponsored project will be documented in real-time across social media.
Engagement with industry through sponsored projects has been a hallmark feature of an ArtCenter education since its founding in 1930. Hundreds of corporate sponsored projects have taken place at the College, interweaving business methods into the fabric of ArtCenter’s robust design teaching. Each project incorporates current trends in emerging technologies with a focus on the user experience.
The project brief
Jointly created by Gravity Sketch, Stellantis and ArtCenter, the project requires students to design the next generation Jeep Wrangler in the new realm of electrification and autonomy in 2030. Students will use Gravity Sketch to enhance their automotive design process, experimenting with a range of capabilities within the 3D design and modeling software, including sketch blitz, ergonomics studies, photo editing, 3D rendering and other modeling techniques.
The 14-week project kicks-off on September 13, 2022, with final presentations scheduled for December 13, 2022. As part of ArtCenter’s educational model, all students retain intellectual property rights in any work created in the classroom unless otherwise negotiated. At the end of the term, however, students are expected to deliver final renderings, final presentation materials, a milled foam model, an Instagram clip and a two-minute video. One student project will be selected by Gravity Sketch and Stellantis to be fully built-out as a ¼-scale model.
Transparency into the design process
Students have been asked to document their process across social media in real-time, posting photos and videos and using the hashtag — #GravitySketchJeep.
We will also be following the students’ progress with videos, interviews, milestone presentations and background footage, to create a final short-form narrative video that summarizes the project. Teasers and real-time updates will be shared on our Gravity Sketch Education Instagram page.
Technologies in the automotive industry are constantly advancing, bringing opportunities to redefine the future of mobility. Sharing the students’ creative process in real-time will show you the full scope of innovation and techniques used to arrive at their final product, and might end up bringing a network effect component to the creative process.
“Traditionally, agreements with our strategic partners include a 90-day non-disclosure window because students are often working on real-world challenges and opportunities faced by companies that require confidentiality,” said Regina Dowling-Jones, ArtCenter’s vice president of Strategic Partnerships. “This is the first time a company has agreed to showcase the student-driven design process as the project is happening and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give potential partners and prospective students a peek at what happens inside an ArtCenter classroom.”
Follow along with the project as it happens on the tag #GravitySketchJeep
