Ford - Design team

Ford senior design team:

J. Mays – Global design chief, chief creative officer
Peter Horbury – executive director of design NA
Freeman Thomas – director of strategic design NA
Moray Callum – director of design – cars NA
Patrick Schiavone – director of design – truck NA



About Freeman Thomas:
"Freeman Thomas Skips to Ford" (WardsAuto, May 2, 2005)
Former Chrysler Group designer Freeman Thomas is headed to Ford Motor Co., where he becomes director-strategic design in North America

Thomas, well known for crafting Volkswagen AG's New Beetle and Audi AG's TT with Ford's Global Design Chief J Mays in the 1990s, most recently headed Chrysler's Pacifica Advance Design Center in California.

He is credited with playing a role in the design of popular auto show concepts, including the Dodge Razor and Sling Shot in 2003.

Thomas, 47, will report to Peter Horbury, Ford's North American executive director-design, and Mays. He will lead advanced design teams in California and Dearborn, in addition to hammering out product design strategies and concept vehicles.

About Ford design team:
"Ford Realigns Global Design Staff" (WardsAuto, May 1, 2006)

Ford Motor Co. announces a realignment of its global vehicle designers that it hopes will bring the energy of Mazda Motor Corp.’s “Zoom-Zoom” design philosophy to the U.S. auto maker’s North American passenger-car lineup.

The appointment with the biggest impact is that of Moray Callum, formerly manager-Mazda Design Div., who is appointed as Ford’s design director-cars.

Other appointments include Patrick Schiavone, named Ford design director-trucks, from design director-cars. Freeman Thomas, director-strategic design for North America Advanced Studios in California and Dearborn, will continue in his role.

"Pat (Schiavone) is synonymous with trucks, having delivered the last iteration of F-150,” the spokeswoman says. “Callum was the gentlemen who really infused “Zoom-Zoom” into Mazda and can energize the car lineup in the North American market.

“Working with Freeman (Thomas) – known throughout industry as being a clever strategist – these three are a strong creative team and will work with (design chief) Peter (Horbury) to set the pace in North American design.”

About Peter Horbury:
"Horbury to Head Ford North America Design" (WardsAuto, on Dec 4, 2003)

Horbury assumes responsibility for design of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brand vehicles, leading a team of seven design directors. He is charged with helping to evolve their exteriors to reflect the DNA of each, while taking their interiors to the next level, Mays tells media here.

The British Horbury was executive director-design for the Premier Automotive Group based in Europe, since 2002. He oversaw future product design for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands.

Prior to PAG, Horbury was design director for Volvo Car Corp., overseeing studios in Sweden, Spain and California. His stamp is on the Volvo XC90 SUV and Volvo Safety Concept car.

Comments:

Judged by Fusion and Edge, looks like the re-alignment of design team at Ford starts to bear fruit. All of the three men led by Peter Horbury are indutrial top guns, including Peter himself. Volvo SC90 is gorgerous car. He was the man behind the rejuvenate Volvo looks.

In a recent wardsauto article, Peter Horbury talked emotion of desiger in the designigng process. Vehicle styling is an art. Like a piece of painting or sculpture, as a visual art, styling should revoke the deep emotion of a speculator. The emotion of the creator of the art, thus, should be connected to the speculator through the works the artist created. Creativity can only comes out of a highly passitionate brain. An art producer should have great passion on his works to produce a great product. Limitations and restrains should be balanced for this purpose. A great drawing has to be constrained within the frame of the canvas. Engineering and designing should be working hand in hand. A disciplined-bizzare kind of mode is needed. (The word might be first used by a Chryser chief, Dieter?)