Retrofuturism: The Car Designs of J Mays [Hardcover]

Brooke Hodge (Author), C. Edson Armi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 2002

The man behind the new VW Beetle, J Mays is considered one of the most revolutionary designers in the history of the automobile. This, the first book on his work, tracks his innovative career from his early days at Audi to his current tenure at Ford (where he designs seven lines: Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Mazda, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Volvo).

Mays approaches not only the design of the automobile itself, but also its branding and identity. He believes that the innovations of the past should be used to inform future solutions. A focus of the book will be duets of cars-the original and the new Beetle, the classic 1957 Thunderbird and its redesigned contemporary counterpart. The book includes color photographs, freehand sketches, computer animations, prototype elements, and sample boards. A section will be devoted to a short history of car design.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J Mays is vice president of design at Ford Motor Company. He previously worked for Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Universe; First edition. edition (December 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789308223
• ISBN-13: 978-0789308221
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 0.6 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,145,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Don`t buy, August 4, 2008

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Unhappy Buyer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Retrofuturism: The Car Designs of J Mays (Hardcover)

this book have not very much pictures and isn`t very informative, apart of that it was very bad scratched, and I can`t tell if was in the shipping or from the buyer

3.0 out of 5 stars Doing Car Design DNA, October 31, 2005

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Carlooks "Carlooks" (DC, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Retrofuturism: The Car Designs of J Mays (Hardcover)

Retrofuturism presents two essays and an interview with the designer of the "New Beetle," the 2005 Mustang and other striking car designs with strong roots in earlier versions of those models. The book was published as the museum "catalog" for a show of "retrofuturism" in the car designs and drawings of Mays and designers in his studios at the Los Angeles Museum of Modern Art. "Retrofuturism" is the derivation of new designs such as the New Beetle, from concepts and visual principles established in an earlier design, e.g., the original VW Beetle. The designers' rough sketches and drawings illustrating evolution of their designs are interesting. But the photos try too hard to be art in themselves and present minimal visual information about the design of the cars pictured. Buy this book for the "J. Mays, Designer" essay by C. Edson Armi and the "Q&J" interview with Mays himself, not for its pictures.

"J. Mays, Designer" will give its reader some mental traction on the slippery links between fundamental visual components of car design - e.g.,geometric shapes, proportion, outline - and the first-hand working insights of J. Mays as he uses them in "retro" designs such as the New Beetle. This essay can fine-tune the reader's brain in ways that will take you up a level when you see a car you like. Another essay by the show museum curator, Brooks Hodges, is mostly about the business sociology of design; it will not lead your mind to help your eye see more in a car design. J. Mays' comments on his own designs in the "Q & J" interview section that concludes the book criss-cross the "cultural," business and visual considerations that make car design such a challenging art.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retrofuturism: The Car Design of J Mays, March 13, 2003

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Michael Webb (London, England > Los Angeles, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Retrofuturism: The Car Designs of J Mays (Hardcover)

Tracey Shiffman has designed this catalogue to look as though it's going from 0-60 in a few seconds, and has given it a sexy energy that perfectly matches its subject. In some ways it works better than the exhibition that's on view at the Geffen Contemporary... There, the concept cars are at rest and can't be touched; here they emerge suggestively from shadows, stretch, and zoom off in a blur of light. A perceptive essay by curator Brooke Hodge and candid remarks from Mays make this an irresistible treat for lovers of automotive architecture. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)