More than just the machine
Further research revealed that it is much more
than ownership of the machine, it is a lifestyle
that permeates the core of these enthusiasts.
I designed several posters to find parallels from existing car enthusiast subcultures.
Understanding existing car culture is necessary to bridge the gap between environmentalist and enthusiast. Car culture exists beyond the vehicle itself, it spreads to fashion, music, community, performance upgrades, magazines, websites and even watches. For example, members of the Import Tuner car culture listen to certain kinds of R&B/Rap music that is different from the muscle car subculture. They meet up at lots, go driving and have their own age groups and lifestyles, and their own way of speaking. In trying to find an enthusiast green culture, I could not find any aside from small pockets of DIYers and wealthy people who own the Tesla Roadster. The result: there is no established culture for electric-powered sports car enthusiasts (aha, a design opportunity!). A strong culture must be developed before something can be mainstream, and that is the focus of the ELECTRON project. Electric/hybrid cars must be shed in a new light that is reliant on environmental awareness. Evolution of green as the newest automotive cool and sexiness must be adopted and will thus usher in a new era of dominance for the electric car.
A list
of car subcultures researched:
Hot Rod
Muscle Car
BMW enthusiasts
British Imports
Italian Imports
JDM-Import Tuner
Super Car Exotics
Classic American
Porschephiles
Japanese Nostalgic Car
Hip-Hop (Bling Bling)
Drift
Lo Riders
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©2010 Yee Chan & Art Center College of Design
Visits to every SoCal car show was required to
gather inspiration for the project:
Bimmerfest: a show for BMWs in Santa Barbara, CA
Cars & Coffee in Irvine, CA
Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, CA
