The Art of Design: New Design West Facility Completed
Discover how art, architecture and design converged to inspire a new generation of automotive design at GM's new Design West Facility.
From inception to implementation, our creative design team uses art and science to develop future generations of products for our customers. As a creative design team member, you will work within our design studios using cutting-edge technology, research resources, and both digital & physical tools to bring ideas to life.
General Motors Global Design Center offers wide-ranging programs that support recruiting, collegiate partner sponsored projects, outreach initiatives and employee training to keep pace with industry trends using modern technologies. Much of this falls under the umbrella that we call Outreach and Development.
This is a 12-week experiential program designed to build industry knowledge and collaborative spirit through cross discipline exercises, foundational training, and true studio program execution. Students work side by side with professionals while building a network among multiple disciplines who collectively support their development. The program ends with a finale where the interns present their final project to Design Executive leadership in the Design Dome.
This program enables us to strategically diversify skillset, influence a culture of growth, and enable a collaborative spirit within GM Design.
Through a work experience partnership between Macomb Community College and General Motors, students gain real-world employment skills by holding paid co-op positions at General Motors in Clay/Digital Sculpting that will help advance their career goals while working towards an Automotive Sculpting Certificate at Macomb Community College.
Our outreach initiatives and community partnerships enhance access to art and design education globally. Our programming impacts thousands of individuals each year to encourage artistic and creative career paths and their inclusion in this space. Our goal is to connect, create and inspire our community partners and the future of design.
GM Provides outreach and creative career awareness in communities within Metro Detroit as well as through-out the state of Michigan. A few of the programs and partnerships include Girl Scouts, High School & Organization Presentations, YMAD (You Make a Difference), mentorships, sketching sessions, various art demos, career shadowing, co-op opportunities etc.
General Motors has a partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA to introduce young women to STEM education and spark an interest in automotive careers at an early age. This partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA includes an Automotive Engineering Girl Scout badge series for girls in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The Outreach & Development Team at GM Design offers students (7th-12th grade) a 7-week all-virtual course in automotive sketching and sculpting utilizing the Microsoft Teams platform. The class meets once per week for two hours.
Our designers create fresh and innovative designs for the interiors and exteriors of future GM vehicles. They utilize a variety of media to communicate their ideas visually-from pen and paper to the most sophisticated digital tools available. Their work focuses on the aesthetics of the vehicle.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Automotive or Transportation Design.
Our product designers love details and understand the role function plays in design. Their unique and creative ideas solve complicated design problems on different parts of GM future vehicles including wheels, accessories and special versions of production vehicles.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Industrial or Product Design.
Creative designers in this studio design how customers interact with their vehicles in the future. The scope of work includes advanced studies that comprehend breakthrough technologies and its impact on user interfaces, as well as the incorporation of those interior components into production. Critical skills include ideation made visible through sketching, rendering, animation and motion graphics, in addition to trend tracking, benchmarking and problem solving.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Industrial, Automotive or Product Design.
Creative designers in this studio design how customers interact with their vehicles in the future. The scope of work includes advanced studies that comprehend breakthrough technologies and its impact on user interfaces, as well as the incorporation of those interior components into production. Critical skills include ideation made visible through sketching, rendering, animation and motion graphics, in addition to trend tracking, benchmarking and problem solving.
Typical Degree/Major:
Industrial Design, Product Design, Automotive/Trans design, Visualization Design.
Our designers are highly creative individuals who have a passion for the world of trends, color and materials. Their role is to see the future – researching, designing and creating proposals that demonstrate innovative color, materials, décor, and texture ideas from concept to implementation for automotive application.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Automotive Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Product Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Architecture or Textile Design.
Our advanced designers monitor trends on the far horizon, identifying emerging mobility challenges before they become critical. They imagine ways to improve peoples’ lives, envisioning completely new vehicle designs and customer mobility experiences beyond what exist today. Advanced designers strive to push the boundaries of technology and aesthetics, utilizing the latest design tools and processes.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Automotive or Transportation Design.
Visualization Designers use photographic, video and computer-generated images to bring future vehicles to life before their public launches. Each image and/or video is tailored to the specific characteristics of the car, truck or crossover; and will be used for design reviews, social media, international public relations and global advertising.
The computer-generated representations made by CGV rival those found in advertising, gaming and movies.
Typical Degree/Major:
Film, photography, VFX, Animation, Design(various).
Our clay sculptors bring designers’ sketches to life by interpreting them into finished 3D scale and full-size models. Their unique ability to “see” in 3D aids in creatively solving design and engineering issues. Clay sculpting is very hands-on focused.
Typical Degree/Major:
Automotive or Transportation Design or Fine Arts Sculpting.
Our digital sculptors are detail-oriented problem solvers who interpret designers’ sketches into 3D surface data using Alias. They aid in solving complex design and engineering issues with Alias models that match creative direction and meet engineering specs. These sculptors are extremely proficient in a digital environment.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Automotive, Transportation or Industrial Design.
Our digital sculptors are detail-oriented problem solvers who interpret designers’ sketches into 3D surface data using Alias. They aid in solving complex design and engineering issues with Alias models that match creative direction and meet engineering specs. These sculptors are extremely proficient in a digital environment.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Automotive, Transportation or Industrial Design.
Industrial designers are responsible for the visual expression of the company and our brands globally. This includes Corporate and Brand Identity, Vehicle Badging, Graphics, Events and EXPERIENCES, Architecture and Environments, Product Design, Photography, Video and Animation, Design Archive and Special Collections.
Typical Degree/Major:
BFA, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Product Design, Interior Design, Architecture Design, Animation, Photography and video.
Our Design Fabrication Engineers collaborate with the Design studios to develop 3D parts that can be fabricated and assembled by the Design Fabrication shops. The team utilizes Siemens NX, along with other CAD tools to aid in the design process by engineering the studio’s conceptual designs into 3D life-like models.
Work Experience:
6 years of documented experience in a relative trade.
Our Design Center Trim Technicians are a group of highly skilled craftsman that offer a variety of talents. Actual physical properties are provided for the Design studios to look at and review for concept and production vehicles. Their areas of expertise include seat foam milling, pattern digitizing, automated textile cutting, embroidery, steering wheel wrapping and stitching, laser etching and engraving, soft trim seat pattern development, among others.
Work Experience:
6 years of documented experience in a relative trade.
The uses and capabilities of 3D printing in the development, design and engineering world are just beginning to be fully realized. A part mock-up that once tool weeks to create can now be printed in a matter of hours. Faster prototyping doesn’t just save time; it can lead to more options to be tested and better end products.
Work Experience:
6 years of documented experience in a relative trade.
Our Design Fabrication Engineers collaborate with the Design studios to develop 3D parts that can be fabricated and assembled by the Design Fabrication shops. The team utilizes Siemens NX, along with other CAD tools to aid in the design process by engineering the studio’s conceptual designs into 3D life-like models.
Typical Degree/Major:
Associates Degree in Product Development, or related degree. Working knowledge of Siemens NX through work experience or technical education.
Our Metal Model Makers construct a variety of models used for design evaluation and clinic purposes and provide a variety of services to support quality preproduction vehicle development and research activities. The metal shop is a custom build activity utilizing the latest technologies. Services include tool design and build, part fabrication, body-in-white weld tools, research projects, teat lab fixtures and CMM and scanner support.
Work Experience:
Journeypersons Card or 6 years of documented experience as a Metal Model Maker or 6 years experience in a relative trade for a “Journeyman in Training” position.
Our Wood Model Makers provide a variety of services and physical properties that are used during the design evaluation process. The role provides a variety of activities, including the fabrication of wood and foam armatures, 3D models and mock-ups, and performs fiberglass surface work in interior/exterior models and theme model builds.
Work Experience:
Journeypersons Card or 6 years of documented experience as a Wood Model Maker or 6 years experience in a relative trade for a “Journeyman in Training” position.
Our Design Center paint technicians specialize in producing show quality paint finishes and coating applications on all Design Center properties. The paint shop uses the latest custom materials and processes that are developed both in-house and by suppliers, on a variety of substrate materials. The finishes demonstrate design intent during the development process and show vehicles that will be on display to the public.
Work Experience:
Journeypersons Card or 6 years of documented experience as Experimental Painter.
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In the U.S., General Motors’ brands include Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. To see a complete list of our brands, visit https://www.gm.com/gm-brands.
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