DESIGN Q
DREAMS TO REALITY
Howard Guy, CEO of Design Q, explains how all of the studio’s concepts
have become a reality. Reimagining the future can make dreams come true,
as well as generating revenues for companies and customers worldwide
R
enderings are a view of what
could be, an escape from the
current with a window to the
future. There are many ways to show a
new design, including the dying art of a
pencil drawing and modern day CAD. Yet
the computer renderings that we now see
all the time in games and movies, where
reality merges the concept and shows the
viewer just what could be, bring life to
dreams and imagination. How we view
these images has an impact on our first
impression. The doodle that shows a
direction can be all that is needed for
some, but put them in a theatre – a
viewing arena – and so long as the renders
are done with integrity and detail, the
concept gains a sense a reality.
I was born in 1960 and grew up in
the nouveau riche 60s, when the future
became the primary focus of the decade,
more so any other decade before it.
Concorde, the Harrier Jump Jet, the E-Type
Jaguar, the Mini, The Italian Job, the moon
landing, James Bond – you name it,
anything seemed possible in this era.
This is in contrast to 2019, where these
majestic relics now reside in museums
and, sadly, nothing since has grabbed the
attention as they did back in the ‘60s.
I have a picture of me as a four-yearold
boy standing in my lounge, in front of
the finest technology that the 1950s
offered, so proudly earned by my father.
The radiogram (complete with a Garrard
record deck), the TV and the Roberts radio
gave me the start in life that would help
me develop a passion for music, invention
and, most importantly… Thunderbirds!
That TV series gave me the key to what
the future could be. Vehicles never seen
before, aircraft doing things that were
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
080 ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020
outcome, determining why and how
something will look, be made and perform.
A story lets anyone imagine how good the
user experience could be. It is not just
about how something looks, it is about
how something feels and how it can
enhance one’s life.
Alongside the story come the visuals,
with ideas and influences combining,
resulting in the emergence of a design and
personality. There is nothing like involving
the senses within a design reveal. Digital
design, one of Design Q’s strengths, has its
advantages, especially when the images,
lighting and texture mapping are of the
highest quality, yet no one would argue
that it is as good as the real thing.
frankly implausible but, in a way, that
you believed were possible. This was
my vocation, my dream, my vision.
Designing things that don’t exist is a
tough job. What is even tougher is quoting
to build something that not only doesn’t
exist, but you don’t know what it will look
like either. Yet at Design Q, this is what
we do. Large and small organisations and
individuals come to us and ask us to quote
and build designs that don’t yet exist.
Design is where it starts, with doodles,
sketches, and conversations over coffee.
But saying that, it is often the story and
the justification for the design where the
seeds are sown, and where unlikely ideas
can come to life. The story is key to the
2
1
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com