r/Damnthatsinteresting
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u/dvarka124
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Dec 01 '22
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"Go design me something original" they said. Image
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u/samthewisetarly Dec 01 '22
Incredibly, Subaru not here lol
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u/herr-heim2point0 Interested Dec 01 '22
Love my impreza
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u/Ballistik762 Dec 01 '22
Originality. It's what makes Subaru a Subaru. (Proud owner of many different subies, especially my '17 STi)
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u/Animal__Mother_ Dec 01 '22
Form follows function. No different than most products built with a specific function in mind which need to meet certain criteria. Smart phones, laptops, firearms, aeroplanes, etc.
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u/Manardi46 Dec 01 '22
Is it really so that the principle «form follows function» makes the same category products similar, and other category products different? Admittedly, there are obvious differences between, say, shapes of bottle openers, or spectacle frames or door handles. But how come there are so many different kinds of bottle openers, why there are hundreds and hundreds of different spectacle frames, or the plethora of door handles, to mention just a few products?
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u/Animal__Mother_ Dec 01 '22
Don’t confuse the form with design. 99.99% of spectacles have two lenses of a size and shape to cover the eyes, two arms to sit on ears, and a bridge to grip the nose.
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u/eStuffeBay Dec 01 '22
lmao so true - this is like someone taking all the smartphone designs, blacking out the screen, desaturating it, then showing the front profiles, saying "OMG phones nowadays all look the same!" while completely ignoring different categories such as foldables.
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u/doterobcn Dec 01 '22
Aerodynamics, fuel consumption, safety inside and outside, all this play a major role on how cars are designed.
And I much rather be in an accident in one of these cars, than a weird one from the 80s.
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u/BenFrantzDale Dec 01 '22
Also, if you desaturate the pictures and draw gray circles over all the wheels, that’s kind of cheating to make them all look similar.
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u/Time_Is_Evil Dec 01 '22
Is it though? You can put black rims on every one of them and they would still look the same.
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u/BenFrantzDale Dec 01 '22
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u/anddowe Dec 01 '22
I mean he’s not wrong they do look the same. But it’s a stupid fucking point because they’re the same style (edit: and the image enhances their similarity). Thanks for the article, I’m not visually accute so having it broken down was helpful.
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u/Neat_Apartment_6019 Dec 01 '22
“Perhaps you even read a caption or an article and nodded your head in agreement, saying, “yes, yes, so very true” aloud, causing the other people in the jury to look at you funny.”
Lmao
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u/fatfuckpikachu Dec 01 '22
I'd much rather die in a 80s car than left crippled in new car.
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u/doterobcn Dec 01 '22
To each their own. I don't want to die.
In a modern car the chances of you dying or getting crippled are much much lower than in an 80s car.7
u/HoweverItHasToHappen Dec 01 '22
… a crash that would leave you maimed in an 80s car would leave you bruised in a modern car. A crash that would leave you bruised in a classic car would be a cracked bumper in a modern car. Etc etc.
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u/jawnlerdoe Dec 01 '22
You could die at 15mph in a car from the 80s. Extremely unlikely with modern safety features.
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u/TrenchTingz Expert Dec 01 '22
Aerodynamic? Have you seen the Lexus, VW, or Toyota in person? My old Lexus had the drag of 99 blocks of cement.
2018 300NX got like 12.3 mpg
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u/jawnlerdoe Dec 01 '22
So, you’re an expert has in fluid dynamics then?
Companies spend millions on aerodynamic simulations for their cars.
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u/mancamfam Dec 01 '22
"Go design me something according to best practices in safety, aerodynamics and large scale manufacturing". No one claimed these cars were designed to be unique.
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u/ispeaknousa Dec 02 '22
No one claimed they should be unique, but then the price difference between some of them is unjustified.
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u/rodexxxx Dec 01 '22
Because its a SUV? They have the same starting point? And then every company goes its one way.
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u/Bierbart12 Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
Doesn't explain why SUVs from earlier times look completely different than this picture(and are starting to become more unique again now, with companies getting bold again)
This same thing seems to happen for sedans
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u/Computerdores Dec 01 '22
"Volkswagon" lol
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u/divbyzero_ Dec 01 '22
Cars of a particular form factor and time period have always tended to look a lot like one another. In fact, the further away you get from them in time, the fewer people are able to distinguish the differentiating details; just try to tell apart brands of sedans from the early 1930s. It has nothing to do with the modern era nor with crossovers.
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u/chickennuggets828 Dec 01 '22
Well when you make them all the exact same color and hide any defining characteristics… then yeah they’re gonna look similar 😂😂
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u/What_Dinosaur Dec 01 '22
They're all different.
The reason we don't have a car on that list that is strikingly different than the rest isn't lazy designers.
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u/Fourty9 Dec 01 '22
What else would it look like?
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u/Brocklesocks Dec 01 '22
That's a great starting prompt. Now run with it
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u/jigokusabre Dec 01 '22
OK. Uh... It should have
- three seperate horns, all of which play la cucaracha
- a separate soundproof bubble dome for the kids (with optional restrains).
- Oh, and when you gun the motor, people should think the world is coming to an end.
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u/RoboticGreg Dec 01 '22
They've been designing cars for over 125 years...of course they all look similar by now. Look at any mature, commoditized product. Light bulbs, toaster ovens, microwaves, toilets....they all wind up looking similar then the entire industry moves together because they all figure out what the gooey center of the mass market wants and they stick there because it sells the most stuff with the lowest variance yielding the highest margins.
Oh, and incidentally, they NEVER say go design me something original. They say design me something that will sell
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u/lordtachanka-69420 Dec 01 '22
congratulations you mentally challenged chimp you came across one of types of cars companies produce
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u/Cubacane Dec 01 '22
Phew, I bought a Volkswagen, not a Volkswagon. Looks like I'm unique and special!
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u/SkepticalDad Dec 02 '22
Jason Torchinsky at the Autopian breaks down how stupid and short-sited this meme is: https://www.theautopian.com/its-time-to-stop-sharing-that-meme-with-all-the-white-suvs-because-its-wrong-and-stupid/
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u/Dangerous-Ad-4103 Dec 01 '22
Kia?
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u/sunflowerads Dec 01 '22
kia sniped a bunch of audi designers a few years ago, and its very obvious, probably irks the hell out of the guy who made this graphic lol
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u/facetedsquare Dec 01 '22
They are all family SUVs. Most consumers buy based on brand loyalty or image, safety aspects, price point, and fuel economy.
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u/Proser84 Dec 01 '22
This is why I am convinced that the best vehicle for a robbery would be a plain white crossover, such as an equinox or CRV. As long as you conveniently had your plates covered with some snow or dirt, you would blend right back into normal traffic.
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u/Bad_Manners1234 Dec 01 '22
a normal family car have 4 wheels. If family cars from different manufacturers have 4 wheels, it does not mean they are losing originality. The cars in CUV/C-segment will look all same
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u/TheGrippin Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
Criticizing this is stupid for multiple reasons:
- You shouldn't reinvent / redesign everything you touch. Even if you do, it's a costly and could be risky thing.
- Cars especially take multiple years to be designed, developed, produced and sold. Fairly possible you invent something in paralell with your competitor, which takes away the uniqueness the day you release it, and no manufacturer gonna scrap / redesign due to this.
- I'm not sure but assume there are class regulations / standards which are mandatory to be followed by car manufacturers.
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u/Waste_Return_3038 Dec 01 '22
Totally right, They have no choice, the multiple rigid regulatory standards around the world for Crash, emissions, fuel economy, lighting etc. leave only a tiny window for creative styling & design in a world car. At least all new cars are safe & efficient now even if they have no personality. Almost all companies that went out on a limb with innovative designs & styling were failures that lost billions.
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u/someones1 Dec 01 '22
Volkswagen is original, theirs will have a timing chain tensioner go at 60k miles and ruin your engine.
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u/Carlos-In-Charge Dec 01 '22
I’m surprised how this made people mad. Of course the designs have common safety features, but they’re also “safe” as in nothing too salient or unique.
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u/dvarka124 Dec 01 '22
This is exactly what I was thinking. Even considering safety, efficiency, etc, gone are the days where you can immediately tell if it is a German, French, Italian or Japanese car by just having a glimpse of it.
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u/LopsidedPotential711 Dec 01 '22
It's spelled "Volkswagen."
See the distinct headlights on the Porche? Even in profile?
SuperFastMatt has a few things to say: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov5G4r5g5GQ
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u/francisco_p Dec 01 '22
I thought I had a problem because I can't tell cars apart in general, now I have some comfort knowing that they really are almost the same.
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u/MrJordan0 Dec 01 '22
Go post something original they said
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u/RetrogradeUranus Dec 01 '22
Not if it keeps scoring high. I think even the top comment is the same. lol
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u/iamsce Dec 01 '22
Huh. I don't see Jeep here...
This would make a great Wrangler ad.
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u/Nuamced Dec 01 '22
Grand Cherokee on the right side.
Ford could have had a Bronco too and that looks much different that Crossovers/SUV
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u/jacquou-le-croquant Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
Ugly by design.
Ugliness is what you see when going out: ugly houses, ugly cars, ugly suburbs, ugly advertising, ugly world.
Where mankind hasn't put foot, beautiful planet though.
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u/Leviathan3333 Dec 01 '22
I’d actually wondered about this as I noticed a lot of them seemed similar.
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u/Asininephilosopher Dec 01 '22
These are all 5 year old crossovers. Automakers know they were building anonymous blobs that were shaped like wheeled potatoes and some are improving. Someone should use 2022 and 2023 models to show the difference.
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u/ChipRichels Dec 01 '22
Some of these aren’t actually crossovers but that is the bargain vehicle right now
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u/TxTransplant72 Dec 01 '22
BMW gave us the i3.
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u/OrangeGromBoi Dec 01 '22
Even worse... style-wise atleast.
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u/TxTransplant72 Dec 01 '22
It was an acquired taste, but really like the look of mine now. It’s definitely different than the rest of what’s out there.
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u/OrangeGromBoi Dec 01 '22
Different strokes for different folks. I could not see myself in most new cars. The only "new" one that I like is the Toyota GR Corolla.
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u/hipsiguy Dec 01 '22
Let me just block out all the things that make all these SUVs look different so I can show you how they all look the same.
Also, these idiots didn't even spell Volkswagen correctly.
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u/KaleidoscopeWeird310 Dec 01 '22
We have one of these, a Honda CRV, and it really is the optimal balance of size and economy.
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u/musicalbasics Dec 01 '22
I mean, if you want high MPG, high safety scores, spacious insides, 4 doors for your family/friends, trunk and the whole shebang in a unit that can drive on most lanes and park in most spaces, there's pretty much just one way of going about it.
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u/Nuotatore Dec 01 '22
Also I noticed forks tend to look suspiciously similar. And don't let me get into pens and reading glasses! Hummm... also pencils, now that I think of it: the plot thickens... 🤔
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u/sunflowerads Dec 01 '22
except no manufacturer designs SUVs to be "original". they don't care. it's not the point of them, they will sell like crazy in north america because people want them. they care about halo cars, and some high end sedans/hatchbacks, being unique and that's pretty much it.
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u/lendmeyoureer Dec 01 '22
I've noticed this before. They all do look alike out in the wild. Take a look around next time you're out and about
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u/DMurBOOBS-I-Dare-You Dec 01 '22
white camouflage doesn't do anything to impede my ability to immediately distinguish each of these. Every manufacturer has distinct lines and contrasts, contours and relationships to the rest of the design - "design language" is real and present in every one of these photos.
Of course they fit the dimensions of human beings, because that's who uses them...
If you can't see it? Not sure what's up ...
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u/Bosavius Dec 01 '22
This is like saying all humans look the same. Except they're a product of countless iterations and conforming to the surroundings have established some basic form.
That said, I'm sure EVs will slowly start making the passenger car evolve into a somewhat different look. But the basic form that has been around since horse and carriage isn't most probably going away in decades until someone figures out a more efficient, comfortable, fast and safe way to transport an individual from A to B without four rubber tires.
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u/Turbulent_Jellyfish1 Dec 01 '22
Think about this from a business perspective for mass produced cars that have to be built on shared chassis and use shared parts with similar models within that company. This picture also blocked out the wheels, and only looking at the side profile.. add it all up and I want my 2 minutes back
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u/Grand-Ad-3177 Dec 01 '22
I had to hang something from my rear view so I would stop trying to get into other peoples car after I bought my Honda. Have had it 7 yrs and still can not tell which car is mine without looking at my rearview mirror
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u/burndata Dec 01 '22
You could make this same image with all white sedans or trucks or most categories of cars. When they're all the same color with no accents all the basic shapes are the same within the categories. The similar shapes are basically where the categories come from.
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u/oiiSuPreSSeDo Dec 01 '22
Guy arrives late to board meeting, opening the double doors mid sentence by the CEO, who carries on speaking anyway.. It's the design guy, a new hire with perfect grades in art, engineering, science and technology. He sits down and places a sheet of paper with the new, cutting edge, super spec family car concept design on the table. CEO stops mid sentence and the entire room, now in stunned silence are staring at this piece of paper and slowly nodding and this man's genius laid out before him.
It's this car again.
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u/Ok_Nectarine_8305 Dec 01 '22
Atleast honda tried something different with the crv taillights and stuck with it throughout the generations
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u/ylangbango123 Dec 01 '22
I use to be able to tell one from the other without the logo now they look same to me.
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u/donjonnyronald Dec 01 '22
You took similar styles, removed any distinct features, and made them all the same size. Why wouldn't they look similar?
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u/chuckles265 Dec 01 '22
No they said go copy that honda crv because of how successful its been and now every car maker hakes a knock off
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u/marrymemercedes Dec 01 '22
A lot of the homogeneity of car design now comes down to aerodynamics, pedestrian impact laws and crash safety requirements. The height of the hood, the angle of the front, height of the bumpers, angle of the a pillars etc etc have fairly strict regulations around them.
Auto manufacturers put a lot of effort designing within these guidelines to attempt to differentiate themselves with headlight design, tail lights, grills, wheel etc. This post purposefully is done in grey scale with minimal details to highlight their point. I don’t necessarily disagree with their point but they’re pulling it to an extreme.
It is also exaggerated by way that this post hits a particular segment of the auto market that is tailored to a certain buyer who want a higher riding vehicle that has a decent cargo space in a midsize footprint. This package sells, they’d be foolish not to offer it.
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u/MiniDelo Dec 01 '22
Convergent engineering. If it works why do it differently. It’s the same reason all planes have wings and are long and narrow or flat and wedge shaped. There are only so many correct solutions to a problem.
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u/Ipissexcellence69 Dec 01 '22
They could've atleast used the durango for the dodge example. It stands out a little bit atleast. Especially being rear wheel drive
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u/JohnsonMcBiggest Dec 01 '22
Nobody would buy something original... hence the picture.
Reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons where Homer designs "The Homer".
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u/obsertaries Dec 01 '22
I lived in Japan for about seven years, came back last year and saw that 3/4 of cars were that. When car body trends change they change all of the sudden across the whole industry.
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u/imbackbaby911 Dec 01 '22
Human eye can deduct all of these subtle differences. I can tell most of the models apart
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u/KD_Burner_Account133 Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
There's also a Kia that is literally identical to the Hyundai. And in fairness the Infiniti does look different.
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u/Creepy_Reputation_34 Dec 01 '22
So? They found a design that worked, and they used it. It just makes sense and is making your car cost less because there is less design work to do.
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Dec 01 '22
Car guy here. This isn't uncommon; take a look at all the brands of any body style from any era and they all tend to look the same. I always buy older, low mileage cars because they've stood the test of time and are unique and fun to drive.
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u/RevGrizzly Dec 01 '22 edited Dec 01 '22
...they said to the aerodynamics expert tasked with building a more efficient shape. Don't have to be a "car guy" to pick up on that part of the equation... I doubt most who find this meme interesting can change their own tire.
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u/Fourteengeese Dec 01 '22
Yes!!! SUVs are the biggest type of car right now. Like I get it they’re big but god are they all ugly asf. I’d rather by a sedan, so I don’t blend in as well haha
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u/mareumbra Dec 01 '22
Look at from this perspective; it will be a easy job because all the rest is same.
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u/FatesMessEngineer Dec 01 '22
These are individually very different vehicles. The exterior focuses on aerodynamics to create an efficient vehicle that people would want to buy. Interiors have the largest opportunity to differentiate from one another with ergonomics and luxury features.
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u/twothirtyintheam Dec 01 '22
The really crazy part about the way crossovers now sell like wildfire in the US is that 10-15+ years ago, hatchbacks and wagons wouldn't sell worth a damn in the US. The US market would often only get a sedan version of cars that were available as super-useful hatchbacks and wagons elsewhere in the world because only the sedan version would sell in the US market.
And now almost every new car on the road is essentially a hatchback/wagon, except they're raised up so they ride worse and get worse fuel economy than if they were just a hatchback or wagon "cars" instead of "pretend-trucks".
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u/IngloriousMustards Dec 01 '22 •
Same optimal shape against air resistance is indeed a drag. Pun… unintended but still taking credit for it.