Designing the Modern Car
Like Duolingo, but for Designing the Modern Car. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
170 levels across 8 sections, about 340 minutes end to end, roughly 68 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Seeing Like a Car Designer, Making Cars for Everyone, The Language of Luxury and Speed, Aerodynamics and the Invisible Hand, Inside the Cabin, The Evolution of the Big Brands, How a Car is Born Today, and The Deep History of Form. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Designing the Modern Car
- The three-box design separates mechanicals, people, and luggage
- The middle box is always the largest for occupant comfort
- Identifying the functional purpose of each box in a standard silhouette
- Separating the engine and trunk provides crumple zones for safety
- Isolated compartments reduce noise, vibration, and odors from the engine and cargo
- Why the three-box shape became the industry standard for sedans
- Two-box designs combine the cabin and cargo areas
- Three-box designs have a distinct, protruding trunk
- Shortening the rear deck makes a car look more athletic and agile
- A long, heavy rear box suggests luxury and stability rather than speed
- Visual identification of two-box vs three-box designs
- How trunk volume affects visual perception of performance
- Two-box designs maximize interior space within a shorter overall vehicle length
- The vertical tailgate allows for taller, bulkier cargo items
- Practical advantages of the two-box/hatchback layout for everyday use
- Distance between the bumper and the passenger is a key safety factor
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Designing the Modern Car the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Which of the three boxes is typically the largest to ensure the car is comfortable to sit in?
Get it right to open this lesson and 169 more in the app.
Where Designing the Modern Car takes you
Learn to see cars through the eyes of a designer. From sketching your first silhouette to understanding how legendary brands created their iconic looks, this course turns every street into a design gallery.
- 1
Seeing Like a Car Designer
- The Three-Box Shape: Why Cars Look the Way They Do
- Proportions: The Secret to a Fast-Looking Car
- Drawing Your First Car Silhouette
- The Face of a Car: Headlights and Grilles
- 2
Making Cars for Everyone
- The People's Car: How the Beetle Changed Everything
- Designing for Small Spaces: The Story of the Mini
- The Fiat 500 and Italian Street Style
- Affordable Speed: The Rise of the Pony Car
- Modern Hatchbacks and Practical Beauty
- 3
The Language of Luxury and Speed
- The Rolls-Royce 'Parthenon' Grille
- Ferrari and the Art of the Curve
- Mercedes-Benz: Designing for Authority
- 4
Aerodynamics and the Invisible Hand
- How Wind Shapes the Body
- The Wedge Era: Sharp Edges and Pop-up Lights
- Spoilers, Wings, and Keeping the Car on the Ground
- The Jellybean Era: Why Cars Got Round in the 90s
- 5
Inside the Cabin
- The Driver's Cockpit: Knobs vs. Screens
- Materials: From Real Wood to Recycled Plastics
- Designing for Comfort and Safety
- The Future of the Steering Wheel
- Ambient Lighting and Mood
- Sound Design: The Click of a Door and the Roar of an Engine
- 6
The Evolution of the Big Brands
- Ford: From the Assembly Line to the F-150
- Toyota: The Design of Reliability
- BMW: The 'Hofmeister Kink' and Brand Identity
- Tesla and the Minimalist Electric Revolution
- 7
How a Car is Born Today
- From Napkin Sketch to 3D Model
- The Role of Clay Modeling in a Digital World
- Concept Cars: Dreams That Never Hit the Road
- 8
The Deep History of Form
- The Horseless Carriage: Breaking Free from Wagons
- Art Deco and the Streamline Moderne Movement
- Post-War Optimism and the Tailfin Craze
- The Oil Crisis and the Shift to Compact Design
- The SUV Takeover: Why Everyone Wants to Sit High
8 sections · 34 units · 170 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Designing the Modern Car is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Designing the Modern Car today.
Download Tomo, search Designing the Modern Car, and play your first lesson in under a minute.