Today's article is about an internship project for Volvo Trucks North America with a project brief of designing a truck not only usable for men, but also friendly to female truck drivers. These project was assigned to Jack Liu, a senior student at Academy of Art University of San Francisco majoring in Industrial Design with Automotive Design. Read on and be inspired with his designs!

The project brief that was given to me was to design a truck that is female friendly, but not only dedicated to them. It also has to appeal for males, without looking too feminine and still has the strength and power that trucks have.

- Jack Liu

In the year 2040, it is predicted that there will be more numbers of females in the trucking industry, as proven by today’s statistic that more and more females are joining the world that mainly is run by males. Although, as of current, Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks have no affiliations what so ever, their brand identities are about the only thing they have in common. A brand identity that is of the simple and cleanliness of Scandinavian designs, as well as a strong emphasis on safety.
- Jack Liu

The inspiration was the idea of a safety capsule that lifts the occupants high up above all danger. From there, the overall proportion of the truck came about, with its canopy mounted up high, so the drivers are on top of what is happening on the road. This gives the drivers, especially females, the sense of confidence, safety, and power. Inspiration also comes from butterfly cocoon; it is hung up high above the reach of predators, and nestled inside of a hard capsule.

- Jack Liu

The interior comes from the same idea, except that now I have to figure out how the small space of the capsule becomes a living space, or home away from home, for the drivers while they are resting on the road. Then the idea of expanding the canopy into two halves came about, allowing the space to double, opening up more hidden spaces such as the lounge area at the front and rear of the living space. This is only possible when the truck is at a complete stop. A benefit of the ability to increase and decrease is not only weight savings, but also making the truck feel dramatically smaller than it actually is while driving.

- Jack Liu

Altogether, both the exterior and interior of the truck contains the essence of Volvo; honest & simple. The exterior and interior design were done by myself, with weekly feedbacks/critiques by the Volvo Truck designers. Sketching was done on paper with pen, then scanned into photoshop to create the final design digital sketches. Alias Automotive was used to make 3D mock up models for reference, then the final trailer was made and refined by a Volvo Trucks 3D modeler, whom also made the Truck model. The model was then rendered in Alias Showcase.

- Jack Liu

About Jack Liu

Jack Liu is a senior student at Academy of Art University of San Francisco, majoring in Industrial Design with Automotive Design focus; going for his second degree. His first degree was Graphic Design, which was completed at CSU, Sacramento. He was born in Taiwan and moved here to the United States at the age of 9, and raised in Northern California for the past 18 years. You can find more of his works on his Behance profile.