Working With Nissan Designers, ArtCenter Students Will Use 3D Design Technology to Conceptualize an Iconic Vehicle for the Automaker’s 90th Anniversary

Nissan Design America is partnering with the Pasadena-based ArtCenter College of Design for a Nissan-sponsored class, as part of the company’s centennial celebrations in 2033. As part of the project, students at the college will use collaborative 3D design technology to create an iconic Nissan vehicle that captures the brand’s performance DNA.

Over the 14-week term, nine ArtCenter Transportation Design students will be tasked with researching the 90-year history of Nissan and designing a product that represents the brand’s spirit of performance for the future. The students will have regular check-ins with Nissan designers and will present their concepts on April 18.

Ken Lee, senior design director at Nissan, said the project would inspire and motivate both the company and the students, adding that the collaboration would provide industry expertise and guidance to the students to develop their concepts and learn about real-life industry practices.

Nissan has a long history of working with ArtCenter, with many of the college’s alumni going on to work at the carmaker. The partnership has helped the company revamp the exterior design of the Nissan Pathfinder SUV in 2022, and Tom Hu, an ArtCenter alum, has his interior design theme included in the 2022 Nissan Frontier pickup truck.

David Woodhouse, vice president of Nissan Design America, said the best design students should be “provocative and challenge the status quo to create compelling visions never seen before.” He added that he could not wait to see the ground-breaking visions the students would create during the project.