IN THE CRUCIBLE

Ever wondered what it's like to study at the legendary ArtCenter College of Design, to become a leading car designer? Octane finds out

- Evan Klein

ArtCenter has been seducing car enthusiasts for decades. Studebaker Avanti, Corvette Sting Ray — both were styled by its alumni. The Riviera, Bronco, Corvair. All ArtCenter. Then, more recently, Boxster, Miata and Viper.

ArtCenter College of Design dates back to 1930, when it was founded in downtown Los Angeles as ArtCenter School. Its Automotive Design Department was established in 1948, it became ArtCenter College of Design in 1965, and it moved to its present Hillside Campus site in Pasadena in 1976. Founder Edward 'Tink' Adams was an advertising man and ArtCenter's first president. He was frustrated by the poor work of recent art graduates and set about changing it. At his school the teachers were working professionals, who could bring students up to the level of what was to be expected of them in the outside world. In 2024, ArtCenter's new Mullin Transportation Design Facility opened in the heart of Pasadena.

We arrive during midterms for a personal viewing with department chair Marek Djordjevic and instructor (and Lexus designer) Ian Cartabiano; Marek you may know from his Rolls-Royce Phantom VII design. He's a visionary for the department, a proper car guy. He believes ArtCenter's success is because it stays true to Tink Adams' vision. Southern California is a hub for international car design, with satellite studios for worldwide brands; an incredible 94% of ArtCenter's automotive students find jobs upon graduating.