Car Design Is Just One Arena Where Geometry Battle Rages On

Detroit Free Press

Julie Hinds

January 12, 2004

Jan. 12--Big boxes rule at the North American International Auto Show, right?

There are Hummers galore, the ultimate Legos for status-seeking adults. The Ford Bronco concept, a gleaming cube of silver. The Jeep Rescue concept, looking like a Hummer Mini-Me. And the rest of the SUVs, box populi for the masses.

"These monsters of the roadway . . . are saying we're here, we're taking numbers and we're kicking butt," says Michael Bernacchi, marketing professor at the University of Detroit Mercy.

No, wait a minute, sleek curves must be king. The Chevrolet Corvette and Volkswagen Beetle are classics of undulation. The Ford Shelby Cobra concept is a symphony of elegant swirls. The Pontiac Solstice is as beautifully round as Beyonce on wheels.

"Sexy forms will never be out of style, even if the trend is to be a little more crisp and athletic," says Scott Strong, director of North America Advanced Design for Ford.

Boxy versus curvy is a great rivalry in automotive design, much like Michigan versus Ohio State in football, Democrats versus Republicans in politics and creamy versus chunky in peanut butter.

But the battle doesn't stop with cars. Boxes and curves duke it out in so many arenas -- fashion, art, packaging, even famous people -- that there must be something beyond geometry that explains it.

There is and it's fairly primal. It's all about how shapes evoke qualities and emotions and tap into our subconscious to tickle our aspirations.

There are boxy icons and curvy icons, according to Gary Hoppenstand, professor of American studies at Michigan State University. "You're dealing with iconic imagery, whether in cars, celebrities or comic book superheroes."

Boxy is tough, athletic, disciplined, authentic. Curvy is sexy, flowing, elegant, charming.

"Big and boxy is masculine power, sleek and curvy is feminine power," says Hoppenstand.

But it's not always a gender thing. John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe are boxy-curvy opposites; so are the Incredible Hulk, who's huge and wins by sheer force, and Spider-Man, who's fast and physically agile.

In some ways, curvy has never been more popular. In Hollywood, formerly wafer-thin Renee Zellweger is earning compliments for the curvaceous pounds she's added for the "Bridget Jones's Diary" sequel. In architecture, Frank Gehry's whimsical swoops -- seen at their most dazzling in the new Walt Disney concert hall in Los Angeles -- are all the rage.

Then there are timeless curvy consumer goods, like the Coca-Cola bottle or high-heeled boots.

Curvy, not boxy, is the shape that echoes nature, which gives it an inherent appeal. Curves are also better than boxes at suggesting a complex array of emotions, one reason why they're such a popular choice in car design.

Talking about the Shelby Cobra, Strong puts it this way: "This is a meaningful car. If people walk up and say, 'What a beautiful, tough, sexy, strong car,' you've done your job."

Still, there's something about boxiness that seems very 2004. Not dainty squares or modest rectangles, mind you. It's more a matter of defiant, unashamed bulkiness. Think of the adorably clunky Ugg boots favored by Pamela Anderson. Or superstars who are human trapezoids like muscle-laden rapper 50 Cent.

More evidence this may be the age of boxy? The lure of big-box stores like Costco, where shopping out of crates makes it hip to be square.

Vehicles like Volvo have long embraced boxiness for reasons of function, but it took the uber-box Hummer to inject luxury into the shape. The larger the box, the less it's about being a container, the more about being CEO of the road.

"Everything we knew about Hummer said rounded is not our signature," says Marc Hernandez, marketing director for Hummer. "It's like the leading man with a strong chin. You don't want that leading man to be a Pillsbury dough boy."

Pop culture observers say it's not so far-fetched to proclaim we're living in boxy times. They talk about a nation preoccupied with post-war angst and terrorist alerts. There's something about the big box that speaks to the need for protection and yet thumbs its nose at fear.

"It's a question of success and dominance," says Hoppenstand. "With the Hummer, for instance, you're connecting to the superiority of American military technology. It's a sense of power through security and strength."

In an age of color-coded threat levels, it's probably no coincidence that the Hummer, born of the military Humvee, is influencing other automakers.

"I think the Hummer has something riding with it, which is people are very driven by fear right now," says Callie Johnson, associate professor of communication design for the College for Creative Studies. "The politics going on right now are really speaking to fear. Protect yourself. Protect your family."

The curve is definitely here to stay. But in fretful times like these, it's sometimes hard to think outside the box.

"We're in a day and age where we're going to this squared-off, take-no-prisoners approach," says Bernacchi. "Be sleek or be the one that wants to slaughter. You can't have both."

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