Photo: Giorgetto Giugiaro / Italdesign
The Italian designer has not just designed cars; he has created art. The elegant and innovative lines he has drawn graced the cars of the legendary brands such as the BMW, Fiat, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Audi and others
Regardless of their social position and personal preferences, most Europeans aged over 20 have travelled, at least once in their lifetime, in one of the cars designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro – or have at least wanted to. The famous Italian designer has designed about 200 production car models, which, in terms of quantities produced, is equivalent to over fifty million cars made by BMW, Fiat, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Audi, Seat etc. However, along with cars – which he has been drawing since he was 17, when he entered the Centro Stile Fiat at the invitation of Dante Giacosa – Giugiaro has also designed a lot of everyday objects, from cameras to bicycles, skateboards, boats, trains, phones, coffee machines, watches, various home appliances, and even a new shape of pasta.
A talented boy who wanted to be a painter like his father and grandfather, has left a mark on the history of design at the turn of the century; however, he has primarily given shape to generations of very popular cars that have influenced people’s habits and everyday lives.
In 1999, the Michelangelo of the car world, as he is referred to in his native Italy, was named Car Designer of the Century by a respectable international jury, and is now the only living member of the Automotive Hall of Fame. However, despite his success and recognition, Giugiaro’s character trait that proves the most charming is his simplicity. It is, at the same time, a characteristic of his style and the key to interpreting his work.
‘Design in itself is a compromise between creativity and creation on the one hand and values forced upon it by the industry and the market on the other. Design is also an irreplaceable intermediary between a person and an object, between a person and their everyday life. It has to follow the dictate of usability and Plato’s ideas of beauty, it has to foresee the coming changes, and also react to the stimulating world of the new generations, who represent the future.’
When he talks about his projects, Giorgetto manages to make every task, including the most complicated ones, seem normal and natural; in a way, even ordinary and easy. It may be his character trait, but one thing is sure – he never adds epic dimensions to his stories. There is no need for it, given his results; especially those achieved in the 1980s, which he is happy to point out because of the great creativity and search for solutions that the period offered, although, as he says, the foundations have remained the same.
‘Searching for an idea on an empty piece of paper is an exercise, a challenge that is still present today; it’s just the tools that have changed. Today, kids draw designs using a timesaving system. They use another type of a pen, but the thing that hasn’t changed are the moments in which you put your ideas, your visions on a paper or another media that can carry your vision.’…
