Side View Proportions

 The next series of lessons will focus on side view proportions of common vehicle silhouettes.

Vehicles come in a wide range of silhouettes. Car designers use the term 1-box, 2-box, and 3-box to describe silhouettes in terms of their primary volumes. For example, a sedan has a distinct engine, cabin and trunk volume, making it a 3-box shape. The same goes for pickup trucks. For SUV's and hatchbacks, cabin and cargo space are combined together, making them 2-box. Finally, an MPV combines engine, cabin and cargo areas into a single monovolume, making it a 1-box silhouette. 

A wide range of proportional ratios between these volumes is possible to define the vehicle intent. A high performance sedan or coupe may prioritize the size of the engine volume relative to cabin and cargo. A compact hatchback must place greater priority on the cabin and cargo volume. A pickup clearly defines the engine, cabin and cargo areas as separate volumes, while an MPV combines them into a single volume with a clear emphasis on people and cargo space.

Designers can mix, match, and combine these volumes in new and different ways to find new, never before seen silhouettes and proportions.

Scroll down to begin the course!