Sid Ramnarace
Sid Ramnarace is a Canadian-born American designer[1] and strategist who has worked with the Ford Motor Company, in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, and has designed automobiles, furniture, jewelry, textiles, glassware, and home decor.[2][3]
Background
At the age of 12, he submitted letters to Chuck Jordan at General Motors and Jack Telnack at Ford in the hope of receiving advice to landing a job as a designer.[4] Based on the reply from those letters, Ramnarace studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he graduated with a degree in industrial design, studying under the tutelage of design pioneer, Viktor Schreckengost.
Career
After a brief stint at General Motors as a contract designer, Ramnarace began at Ford working at Ford's Global Design Center and developed textiles, color and trim for the Ford Explorer, Ford Prodigy[5] and 24.7 show car concepts,[6] where he worked under VP of Design J Mays and Chief Designer Laurens van den Acker.
He has contributed to automobile interiors and exteriors including the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, Ford Flex, Ford Thunderbird[7] and most notably, the 5th generation Ford Mustang which was cited as one of the most iconic cars of the last 20 years.[8]
Sid has also spent time teaching at his alma mater as well as appearing as a guest speaker at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business at the MBA in Marketing program.[9]
Criticism
The clean design of the 24.7 featured simple geometric shapes and machined surfaces which were designed to communicate a technical look and feel, complimenting the prescient advanced communication and telematic technologies that made up the essence of 24.7. However, the design of the 24.7 was criticized in the press - The Car Connection was quoted saying, "It's wrapped around the Internet because the Internet is trendy, and in the design-led world Ford is entering under J Mays guidance, trendy is everything." [10]
Selected projects
-
Ford Thunderbird (11th Generation) -
![Ford Mustang (5th Generation)[11]](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Ford_Mustang_GT_coupe_--_07-30-2009.jpg/100px-Ford_Mustang_GT_coupe_--_07-30-2009.jpg)
Ford Mustang (5th Generation)[11] -
Ford Edge -
Lincoln MKX -
Ford Explorer (3rd Generation) -
Ford Prodigy Concept
![Ford Mustang (5th Generation)[11]](/wiki/File:Ford_Mustang_GT_coupe_--_07-30-2009.jpg)
References
- ^ "International Home + Housewares Show 2013: Savora: Q+A, with Sid Ramnarace". Core77. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Ramnarace Gilles Cufflinks=Design Spotter". Retrieved 26 January 2009.
- ^ "1000 Product Designs: Form, Function and Technology from Around the World - Eric Chan".
- ^ "Ford renews design links with The Cleveland Institute of Art". Car Design News. Retrieved 2 May 2002.
- ^ "Prodigy Points Way To Ford's Future". EV World. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
- ^ "Ford 24-7 Design Review". Car Design News. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.
- ^ "John Phillips: Capturing the Allure of Ginger". Car and Driver. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- ^ "25 Most Iconic Cars of the Past 20 Years". Businessweek. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "Past Speakers". YaffeCenter. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
- ^ "2000 Detroit Show: Ford's 24.7". The Car Connection. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ^ Lingeman, Jake (December 9, 2013). "Facts and Figures on America's First Pony Car". Autoweek: 29.
External links
- Core 77 Interview with Sid Ramnarace Q+A with Sid Ramnarace at the International Home and Housewares Show
- Car and Driver Car and Driver feature on Ramnarace designs