Crown Jewel
A Cadillac for Austin, Texas, in 2035
General Motors asked our studio to imagine a car that would exist in 2035, for one city and one person. Two transportation designers drew the vehicle and a fashion designer set its color and trim. As the graphic and experience designer, I shaped the research story, the experience inside the car, and the presentation and films we showed General Motors.
- Sponsor
- General Motors
- Studio
- University of Cincinnati, PACE
- Team
- John Piper and Victor Fortmann, transportation design. Emily Harper, color and trim.
- My role
- Graphic and experience design
We chose Austin for where it is headed: heavy investment from tech companies, low taxes, a strong sustainability record, and a fast growing population. By 2035 it reads as the next great American city, and a young, wealthy audience Cadillac wants to meet.
Ricardo Sinclair
A self made young executive at an Austin tech company, admired as a leader and close with his team. He collects watches, follows men’s fashion, trains every morning, and tinkers with robotics. He wants a car that makes a statement, and the protection and service that come with it.
We used Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as both a research method and the shape of our presentation, so every design choice answered a moment in Ricardo’s story.
The call
Ricardo leaves New York for a new job in Austin. He has never needed a car, and Austin is built around them.
In a city betting on autonomy and sustainability, we expected people like Ricardo to subscribe to a car rather than own one. Cadillac Eminence keeps the car, its care, and its upgrades with Cadillac, and puts the whole experience in the member’s hands.
Request
Ricardo asks for his car from his phone, or his personal AI does it for him.
A fully autonomous Cadillac that recognizes and adapts to its rider through biometrics. We explored three packages before the final car, each built around the same promise: every feature should give the rider a sense of control and confidence.
Package idea, classic
Two passengers, fully electric, all wheel drive. Plant based carbon fiber outside and recycled materials inside.
Package idea, modern
Two passengers, fully electric, all wheel drive, with the look of futuristic efficiency and the same plant based materials.
Quadcopter bike
One rider, off the grid, flying over traffic in the footprint of a motorcycle, in lightweight reinforced plastics.
Emily Harper built the color and trim around gemstones, the idea behind the car’s name: a color story drawn from Austin and Ricardo’s world, gem metallic paints for the body, and soft light for the cabin interface. Point at a band to read its value.
10 colors, weighted the way the guide weights them (244 parts).
Exterior gem metallics
- Golden topaz
- Royal amethyst
- Pink granite
- Smoky quartz
- Pale moonstone
Interface light
- Rose glow
- Pale amber
- Fog
- Illusion
Biometric sensors recognize Ricardo, and retinal projection puts the controls in his line of sight. I rebuilt that display so it works: change the song, set the cabin temperature, pick a destination, or light the cabin in one of Emily’s gems. The backgrounds are stills from the film we made, which follows.
Austin 78°
64Ricardo
The story we brought to General Motors, designed in Cadillac’s look at the time: the script wordmark, silver gradients, and a single red accent, with each slide answering one step of Ricardo’s journey.
9 slides
Next work
The North Face