Gen Z Has Arrived at the Company...

Sep 08, 2024

7 MIN READ

At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Gen Z was well represented among gold and silver medalists, proving that this generation has become a formidable force in the sports arena. Likewise, in the business arena, people have forecasted that Gen Z will also come to "shake up the workplace." The thing is, they are already here among us.

This April, the Ford China Design Center collaborated with the Central Academy of Fine Arts to launch a design project themed "Into the Bronco Verse."

from left to right: Liu Zihao, Chen Jiajun & Jin Xinglie

With this theme, the students were tasked with creating a Bronco model for a parallel universe, which offered ample room to unleash their creativity, free from the constraints of current model designs. They were able to fully express their capabilities and imagination. Midway through the project, the designs of three students stood out.

In July, these three mobility design majors joined the Ford China Design Center for a two-month internship. Here, they continued to refine their designs and got a taste of real workplace life.

Novice designers should not be underestimated

The three students haven't been studying mobility design for very long. Without knowing their background, it would be hard to believe that these works are from designers who have only been learning for one or two years. However, the level of creativity and completion reflected in their work is already impressive.

Chen Jiajun (Junior), from Changsha, Hunan, has been studying art since childhood, and has aspired to attend the Central Academy of Fine Arts since he was a child. Design Mentor: Leon

Chen Jiajun, who has an artistic flair, prefers creating illustrations by hand rather than using AI or Photoshop.

His work "Fold Bronco" transforms the Ford Bronco into an expandable and mechanized wild horse that can conquer various terrains. The foldable body structure employs a flexible material design inspired by origami, perfectly balancing the need for large-space transport and compact storage.

Jin Xinglie (Junior), Growing up in Beijing, he has loved cars since he was a child. He said his academic performance in middle school wasn't great, so he decided to pursue the path of an art student – only to find out that the Central Academy of Fine Arts not only has high requirements for college entrance exam scores, but is also very academically demanding...Design Mentor: Alex

With the young and innocent look of a high school student, Jin Xinglie presented his "Moving Castle" project. Built for a utopian universe, his creation expanded the usage scenarios of the Ford Bronco, crafting a mobile castle suitable for a cartoon world.

His playful design is the only one of the three that considers the needs of children. Not only does he elevate the classic Bronco's image in terms of proportions and stance, but he also cleverly uses a variable airbag structure that can be disassembled and transformed into various shapes anytime, anywhere, which also encourages children to let their playful energy flow.

Liu Zihao (Sophomore), from Hubei, originally wanted to be a landscape photographer. During his freshman year, he attended a sharing session of a senior student who worked as an art director for “The Wandering Earth," which inspired Liu to visit the specialized work studio of that student’s university department – leading him to choose the mobility design major. Design Mentor: Kai

The youngest of the trio, the thoughtful Liu Zihao created the "Model Bronco" based on an imaginative toy universe concept. Inspired by the first-generation Ford Model T, it focuses on the modular design of the Bronco and its numerous easily detachable parts, further enhancing the playability of the product and representing a wonderfully original interpretation of the Ford Bronco as it is seen by young people.

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At the Design Interns Project Review Event
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At the Design Interns Project Review Event
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At the Design Interns Project Review Event
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At the Design Interns Project Review Event
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At the Design Interns Project Review Event
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At the Design Interns Project Review Event

1/5

Regarding Design - How do Gen Z designers define "good design"?

Chen Jiajun believes that good design should serve people, express good ideas, and be accessible.

Jin Xinglie insists that good design should be defined according to different users and their specific usage scenarios and meet the needs of different segments of society. At the same time, conceptual designs should emphasize logical consistency and be intuitive to use.

Liu Zihao believes that some functional aspects can be disregarded to focus more on the purity of the design. He believes that good design should adhere to the concept of simplicity but not be simple, using minimal actions to express design ideas instead of blindly piling up elements.

How can inspiration be found when design challenges arise?

Jin Xinglie has a unique secret for enriching his design process – being agile and using various go-to websites for designers for inspiration. He likes the work of Daniel Simon, a very cool designer who has created vehicles for many movies.

Chen Jiajun's inspiration for the "folding" concept comes from his favorite style of orderly, brutalist architecture.

He also likes to exchange ideas with friends from other majors: "Viewing our design topics from the perspective of other majors might reveal many pain points we have overlooked and can inspire us."

Similarly, Liu Zihao likes Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, whose work is representative of the Metabolism movement. Kurokawa’s Nakagin Capsule Tower adopts an advanced modular structure, with a minimalist layout inside the building that is also very sci-fi.

He believes that designers have capabilities to create designs that AI can never replace, reflecting human value in this era of AI prevalence.

The mentors also have their methods...

Kai admits that with more experience and age, inspiration becomes limited by feasibility and can gradually dry up, which can be irreversible.

"I prefer to get inspiration from areas far removed from the automotive industry, such as real life and the movies, so that I can be as unconstrained as a novice and come up with seemingly impractical ideas."

In his daily work, Leon uses his personal gallery to collect pictures of classic cars so that he can explore the design elements that are preserved throughout their evolution.

Alex likes to find inspiration by driving around, playing racing simulators, and controlling remote-controlled model cars. "I believe that as a car designer, you need to understand the cars, not just stay on the level of shape design. After all, a car is an industrial product with many mechanical structures and strong logic."

The pains of the design process

Communication with senior and junior-level designers isn’t always easy. They tend to be more introverted personalities, and INTJ Chen Jiajun said that the majority of designers start as INTJs... Well, perhaps they channel their self-expression into their work.

However, when asked about the creation process, what resonated with everyone was that all the designers said without hesitation: it can be painful.

"Mainly because of limited personal abilities, or being unable to accurately judge right moves from wrong ones. The modified work may not be what I want to express, which can be very confusing. Everyone wants to stick to their original intention but is afraid of making mistakes, which can indeed be very tormenting." said Chen Jiajun.

Jin Xinglie mentioned that as a student, there are bound to be various imperfections in aesthetics and logic. Initially, he was obsessed with the twin-body design, but Alex and the academy teachers thought it was too bulky and affected the overall design quality, and it did not meet his pursuit of aesthetically pleasing design needs. He had to completely start over, and when doing the second round of design, he often thought back to the first draft, which stung him with pain.

However, he also admitted: "As a designer, you must get used to this kind of process, otherwise, there will be no growth in your work." In design, you must not get too obsessed.

Liu Zihao believes that when you feel the pain of a bottleneck moment, it is often a sign that a breakthrough is right around the corner.

When feelings of pain arise, such as the mad rush to make progress, he might do some computer modeling while watching Ultraman, those old episodes from decades ago.

But... it is an experience of a lifetime

Before coming here, the youngest designer Liu Zihao admitted that he was a bit worried about whether he could keep up and if he was skilled enough. As for Jin Xinglie, he was both looking forward to it and a bit apprehensive because he had heard that some of his classmates' internship experiences elsewhere were not so pleasant.

After two months of being here, the three students unanimously agreed that the environment at the Ford China Design Center is excellent, with a feeling of team harmony and unity and an open and inclusive environment.

Chen Jiajun even said: "I didn't expect it to be this good; it is the design center I had hoped for in my mind." Liu Zihao particularly enjoyed working with his mentor, feeling very relaxed, like working alongside both a teacher and a friend, without a generational gap to worry about.

More importantly, the internship project has been very rewarding for them in many aspects.

Jin Xinglie stated that his biggest gain was learning how to make his work more complete.

"This is also the first time I continued to modify and refine a project after completing it. I’ve learned that the design should have details where necessary, but also leave some blank spaces. Continuously adjusting proportions, stances, etc., has helped me grow a lot."

Liu Zihao said that he has cultivated better time management skills and has learned to arrange his design progress more effectively.

"Spending eight hours a day here allows you to master how to capitalize on those eight hours, knowing what to do and having a clearer plan for your work."

Facing the next generation

In addition to the students, the design mentors also found this experience very valuable. The students' unrestrained imagination, comprehensive thinking, and proficiency in using software left a deep impression on the mentors.

The lively and interesting ideas and creativity of the students also brought a breath of fresh air to their daily work.

Kai mentioned that this was the first time they made the transition from students to designers, to mentors.

"During the guidance process, I would put myself in their shoes and only manage the general direction of the design to give the students more space to play. When there were disagreements, I would first think about why the student designed things that way, then let their ideas develop for a while. After that, we would review and summarize the design concepts together, because it is possible that I did not understand certain choices at first, but they were actually good ideas."

Leon mentioned that he mainly helped Chen Jiajun plan the progress of his project. Unlike the first half, where ideas were scattered, he helped him gradually refine and deepen the work, and urged Chen to ensure that the work could be presented in the best state by the deadline.

Alex said that during the student years, it is essential to have the imagination to do some very forward-looking, radical, and conceptual projects. It may be the only time as a designer to completely unleash one's creativity and do what one truly wants to do.

Alex feels that Gen Z designers are also very competitive, sometimes even making him feel that their level is higher than many professional designers. "Their arrival is also an encouragement for us, pushing us out of our comfort zone to build new knowledge and skills."

At the Intern Design Project review event

As the first business–education collaboration project between the Ford China Design Center and an institution of higher education, “Into the Bronco Verse” not only allowed us to witness the brilliant sparks birthed by the vivid imagination of young designers and the heritage of the Ford Bronco, but also marks a forward-looking attempt by Ford China to explore and expand our design inspiration.

At the same time, the performance of these Gen Z designers also gives us confidence that this generation of young people is not only a strong force in "shaking up the workplace," but will also bring us new perspectives, logic, and strengths. We’re excited to witness the continuous advancement of this younger generation as they embark on a new and exciting journey in life.