Giovanny Arroba is the program design director of Nissan and the mastermind behind the recently unveiled Ariya Concept. The crossover EV embodies the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision of personal transportation — one where electrification and vehicle intelligence will offer seamless and adaptive travel experiences free of accidents or harmful emissions. With twin electric motors, powerful acceleration and award-winning driver assistance technology, the Ariya Concept is also a complete reinvention of Nissan’s design.
Arroba sheds light on how the Ariya Concept came to life and detailed the process of turning his dreams into reality.
Q: Why did you seek out a design career with Nissan?
Arroba: After graduating from the ArtCenter College of Design in 2000, I was fortunate to discover Nissan’s design oasis in San Diego. The environment was an ideal place for a designer to create something new, and since then I’ve had the chance to influence and shape the form language of the brand. Now, Nissan is part of me, and I am part of Nissan. I believe we are just warming up as we shape the future of the company.
Q: What was your initial approach to penning the Ariya Concept?
Arroba: It started with our vision of how to shape the future. I wanted to merge form with the unique experience of an EV and the autonomous and connected technology that Nissan Intelligent Mobility represents. The relatable attraction of the automobile as a dynamic object to be driven is essential for the concept.
Q: Imagine the Ariya Concept is a production car. Where do you want to drive it first?
Arroba: I grew up in Southern California, so I would love to drive it up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) from Santa Barbara through Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterey. Carving along the West Coast with the Pacific Ocean by my side would feel surreal.
Q: Do you research other areas besides automotive and transportation? Like the future of fashion? Architecture? Toys? Food? Any standout inspiration from an unconventional source?
Arroba: Yes! All of the above, as well as music and film – both for the content as well as the way they are composed and directed. Designing a car is like creating a visual symphony as well as setting the scene for the customer’s journey.
Q: Did you have a favorite car, real or fictional, as a kid because of its design?
Arroba: This is too difficult! I’ve had, and have, too many cars that inspire me. Italian cars and concepts from the ‘60s and ‘70s are on another level. Cars like the 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero, 1972 Maserati Boomerang, or the voluptuous 1968 Alfa Romeo Stradale and 1952 Disco Volante.
Q: We’ve recently seen automakers developing concepts specifically for movies. Which movie would you like to design a car for?
Arroba: I would love to design a car for James Bond, or something that would live in the world of Blade Runner.
Q: You initially use a pen and paper when you design. How do you marry an analog approach with cutting-edge technology like the VR you use to talk to designers around the world?
Arroba: For me, when daydreaming and visualizing new ideas or concepts, a sketchpad and pen are always the simplest way to record and communicate ideas.
Drawing on paper or digitally is the language we use to sketch our ideas out as a first step. After we have agreed on a direction, we either sculpt a clay model or create a digital model or both. Then, we can use that to confirm our ideas using VR, before creating a physical full-scale model. VR is an important part of the process, as it allows us to confirm a reality that does not yet exist in a short amount of time.
Q: What other tools are essential for your process?
Arroba: Firstly, to keep an open mind, to keep daydreaming, to keep discovering. Along with sketching and VR, clay modeling allows for different levels of finesse through shape and form. I also value this level of exploration in a digital space as much as clay. Animations or films made from our design data help us capture and communicate the experience we are trying to create.
Q: What skill is difficult for artists trying to break free in automotive design?
Arroba: Actually, I feel it’s separating the drawing (illustration) from the actual “real” physical object we are trying to create. Designers tend to get caught up and fall in love with the sketch or rendering and have a difficult time translating it to reality. The sketch is just a way to allow us to work out our mathematical equations from daydream to reality. Drawing is part of our vocabulary but not the final word.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to go into car design?
Arroba: Draw, draw, draw. Draw to be proficient in the language of design. Mastering drawing is needed to shape the design symphony. Visualize and digest the history of cars and why they look the way they do. Research vehicle trends, attend motor shows and gain insight into how cars are built – all in order to understand the collective consciousness of the past and present, to be able to take the next future step or breakthrough it all together.
