How I Became an Arab American Car Designer
By: Mike Enayah/Arab America Ambassador Blogger
I was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents. I was raised straddling two identities: one is the son of refugees that needed to always be practical. For most Palestinians, a professional highly marketable career path was a survival necessity.
The second identity was formed by parents who encouraged arts, travel, hobbies and expanding knowledge.
In the 70’s, I spent my childhood between Kuwait and Lebanon, where the car culture was dominant. I was defiantly bitten by the car bug, and it didn’t help that the only currency I would accept from my favorite aunt were Matchbox cars until I amassed the largest collection.
I had also read every car magazine I could get my hands on. In the 70’s, Kuwait broadcasted predominantly American shows which included cars co-starred in the lead role.
I recall the TV show: The Rockford Files, and the movie: Smokey and the Bandit. Both had featured Pontiac’s Firebird and Trans AM. I have also developed noticeable sketching skills; I honed my artistic talent sketching all cars over my books margins while daydreaming in the classroom.
While planning for college, it was common to attend a U.S. school and return to Kuwait for work.
To me, a good compromise between my two identities was to study architecture, utilizing my artistic talents while obtaining a marketable degree. Car design was my passion but it was out of the question, as it was not practical, and I didn’t know how to pursue it.
During my study of architecture, I developed a passion for interior and furniture design. As planned after graduation, I went back to Kuwait and embarked on a successful interior and furniture design career.
After a few years, I accepted a job offer designing offices in the Detroit Area. One afternoon, a client walked in looking to establish an office in Detroit. Part of the design process was to inquire about the business function. They said it was car design. At that moment I felt an old love rekindling. One of their designers showed me what they did and told me all about how he became a car designer. He also explained that it was not an easy major to be accepted into and it is even a harder career choice. He explained that despite all the talent and education, it depends on the designer’s portfolio and the needs of the automotive industry.
With having one child and another on the way, I took a risk; I quit my job and embarked on becoming a car designer.
Alfa Romeo concept design
B-Class rally car design (RIA7), pronounced Riah (Arabic for Wind) Car design which requires several majors of study and several careers.
The design I am referring to is the artistic side; it is industrial/product design which is responsible for creating attractive shapes and functionality to enhance the aesthetics and user experience while maintaining brand identity, engineering requirements, and marketing needs.
This discipline applies to all products. When it comes to car exteriors, industrial design has a subspecialty (transportation design), while industrial designers work on the interior and other components; the two usually have blurred lines between them.
Nissan SSS concept design
To perform 3 Nissan SSS concept design, I had to enroll in one of two top schools in the nation that offered those majors of study: CCS (Center for Creative Studies) in Detroit, and Art Center in Pasadena. I happened to be in the right place in Michigan, so after completing car design classes at CCS, I went on to obtain a master’s degree in industrial design from Wayne State University.
During my design journey, I met some of the world’s top talents:
Bill Porter who became one of my mentors. Bill was considered to be a design legend; he was responsible for some of the great car designs, especially, the second generation Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am that I loved through watching my favorite shows back in Kuwait.
John Phillips was also a great designer and a friend who relentlessly tried to convince GM to look at my portfolio.
(DR3) pronounced Dera (Arabic for Sheild) to reflect the safety aspects of the design
Product design/industrial designer is responsible for the style and functionality with products
Through my journey as a car designer, I also met a few Arab American designers:
Thamer Hannona whom I had the pleasure of having him intern in one of my studios. Hannona also had grown up in Kuwait and now is considered as one of the most talented designers I ever came across.
Another very talented GM designer is Hasan Zraikat, originally from Jordan. Actually, these are only a few of the many young Arabs and Arab Americans who are in the field of design
I hope my story will help inspire many more Arab Americans to explore the design field. As I will always be available to help any aspiring designers with advice and guidance.