As we celebrate the launch of the Snapdragon Season 4 part 2 ESL competition in partnership with Zenvo Automotive, we’re joined by a very special individual: Frederik Steve Kristensen, Senior Designer at Zenvo Automotive.

Join us, as we take a moment to get to know Frederik as he takes us through his story and reveals some of the trade secrets and also some tips and tricks if you want to follow in his footsteps. 

• Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into automotive design?

It has always been a dream of mine to become a car designer. I even have a drawing of a car with the writing “I want to be a car designer” we did for school back when I was 7 years old. So with that goal I have just focused all my energy into that. 
I studied Design and Technology in high school and continued with a bachelor and master’s degree as Industrial design Engineer. Knowing the very slim chances of becoming a car designer I wanted to make sure I did and learned as much as possible in terms of ideation, sketching, engineering and 3D modeling. I have been sketching cars every single day for almost 10 years. I taught myself 3D programs like Alias, Solidworks and Maya in my spare time as I noticed these were the programs used in the car industry. 
My dreams finally came true back in 2019 when I start working at Zenvo Automotive where my main task has been designing and creating the new Auroras alongside our chef designer Christian Brandt. 

• How would you describe the design philosophy? What sets it apart from other automotive companies?

Form follows function is a very important part of Nordic and especially Danish design and Zenvo being a Danish brand this has been a very big part of the design philosophy. A major feature on the Auroras is the use of negative space and integrated aerodynamics. Again, this goes completely hand in hand with the Form follows function philosophy as all the space not taken up by engine, coolers, wheels and so forth is used for aerodynamics which naturally creates a lot of negative space. 
Arne Jacobsen is one of the most famous Danish designers. He has played a big part in differentiating Danish design from Nordic design. Looking at some of his unique furniture designs he took the simplified and minimalistic Nordic design and added Emotion, giving these super simple and beautiful products a lot more character. Arne Jacobsen has been a big inspiration for the entire Auroras project and is especially noticeable in the interior.

• Can you walk us through the design process, how do you translate ideas and concepts into tangible designs?

It always starts with a sketch. With a lot of ideas flying around your head it is important to get them out so you can start discussing ideas on some specific basis and sketching is the perfect tool as it is fast, and you can do it anywhere.  
Slowly developing ideas on 2D platforms which later can be translated into 3D. Here we often use what is called Subdivision to build rough shapes that are easy to change and modify with new ideas. These geometries are then used as the basis for Aerodynamic simulation, early engineering and later translated into real surface and engineering files.  
These files are then used to mill or cut different components or to create molds for Carbon fiber. Everything is then assembled by a great team of mechanics, painters, and fabricators.

• What are some of the key considerations and challenges you face when designing a new vehicle?

Especially designing a hyper car it is incredibly important that it looks towards the future with innovative technologies and unique design. Also, the design of this kind of car needs to look modern even 20 or 30 years from now so you do a lot of research and multiple ideas to test different designs and try to imagine how the future will look. If it becomes too radical or shares too many design ques from this day and age you are running the risk of it not ageing well. 
The main challenge in designing the Auroras has definitely been the Aerodynamics as the best form of aerodynamics will result in a design like a Formula 1 or Le Mans car and not as a Zenvo. So to create a design that fits with the design language and feature lines of a Zenvo and still creates a lot of downforce and low drag has definitely not been an easy task.

• What role does innovation play in your design approach? How do you push the boundaries of automotive design?

It is extremely important, especially on hypercars. What makes a Supercar a Hypercar in my opinion is of course performance and exclusivity but also every Hypercar has something which are unique and none of the competitors have and here the design plays a big role. With new technologies continually evolving it is possible to design and develop new parts which was not possible before. This is definitely something we have noticed with all the negative space and integrated aerodynamics which is only possible because of the big evolutions in carbon technology. 

• How do you ensure that your designs reflect the core values and brand identity?

You can start by dividing it into two categories. The first one is product family. Here you need to look at the existing product and figure out what makes it recognizable as one brand and not another. Here we often talk about feature lines which are key design elements that we don’t change too much.  
The other category is the philosophy of the car. Way back when we did the first Zenvo ST1 the philosophy was to make it look as powerful as it is. Here it was all down to the proportions of the car and creating muscles and tension to make it look muscular and powerful.

• What impact do you think the future of mobility and sustainability will have on automotive design?

I am sure that at least for the near future electric powertrain will be the main way forward for normal everyday cars. Whether that electricity is from a battery, Hydrogen or something else is a bit more unknown. Also, with all the new developments in synthetic fuels, I believe that the combustion engine will live on at the top end of super and hypercars for a long time into the future. If it is completely CO2-neutral, why not have an engine? And from experience, the customers for hyper cars crave internal combustion engines because of the driving engagement you just don’t get from an electric car.  
So electric cars for everyday use and synthetic-fueled internal combustion engines for Hypercars are the dream future scenario for me.

• What advice would you give to aspiring automotive designers, who want to follow a similar career path?

Keep going and learn as much as possible not only regarding automotive design but design and products in general. Nowadays all the new electric cars give a whole new freedom to the design and thereby the need for a much wider span of design knowledge. 
Also from my experience learning and understanding some of the engineering going into these vehicles will help you a lot as you don’t have to fight the engineers if you understand them. You can brainstorm with them and actually make your design work with or even improve the engineering. 

• Looking ahead, what excites you the most about the future of automotive design?

The short answer is everything. So many new trends and powertrains give a lot of different design possibilities. Just seeing some of the latest concept cars from around the world makes me very excited. It seems we are at a point where different brands are not afraid to try something new and to me that is the whole reason to love car design.