Young Nick shapes new Ford

By DAVID LINKLATER

It's quite a stretch from kitchen sink to sports sedan, but it's been a remarkably smooth transition for Australian designer Nick Hogios.

Hogios, 28, is the man behind the more sophisticated look of the forthcoming "Barra" Falcon XR series. The new car was revealed for the first time just two weeks ago.

Hogios graduated with a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree from the University of NSW in 1995 and worked initially in an industrial design consultancy, Sydney-based Nielsen Design Associates.

Automotive design experience included concept design for aftermarket supplier, Roman Autotek, and Wayne Gardner Racing. He also taught industrial design students at UNSW in design and drawing only two years after graduating himself.

Hogios came to the attention of the Blue Oval when he won the inaugural Ford/Wheels Young Designer of the Year award, announced at the Sydney motor show in October 1998. Six months later, he was offered a position in Ford's Broadmeadows design studio.

"Since about the age of six, I've wanted to work in a studio like this," he said.

Hogios says his experience in industrial design had initially attracted Ford.

"Ford is increasingly looking to designers from non-automotive fields to liven up the mix in the studio. I fitted that category as I've worked on a wide range of products, from toys to bikes - everything, including the kitchen sink."

At Ford, he has worked on both interior and exterior design. He was responsible for designing the striking colour scheme of the Craig Lowndes Motorsport Falcon, dubbed the green-eyed monster.

"We wanted to introduce the Falcon brand as strongly as possible," said Hogios.

"It seemed natural to incorporate the Falcon bird logo stylistically to give the car an even more aggressive look - to give it an appearance of speed even when it is standing still. The livery also evokes a futuristic interpretation on the strength of the Falcon brand."

Significantly, although the sheet metal was pure AU, the frontal styling detail of the V8 racer pointed the way towards the styling of the BA Falcon.

The M-One-11 Escape from the 2001 Sydney motor show was another Hogios effort. The curious concept blended the latest fashion fabrics and colours into an open-top version of the Escape off-roader.

The project was pitched as an opportunity for young designers to stamp their personality on the brand, according to the company.

Hogios said the concept was a melting pot of street culture, lifestyle and transportation: "We tried not only to bring the outside inside with the exposed rear cockpit, but created a silhouette that blurred the boundaries between sports cars, SUVs and conventional sedans."