Designer of the 2015 Mustang s550 (Kemal Curic)

It seems that by my own research, not really anyone is aware of the actual person leading design on the next Mustang. For the '05 it was Sid Ramanrance in 2001 and for the 2010, it was Doug Gaffka in 2006. Apparently the designer responsible for S550 is Kemal Curić. After relocating to Dearborn in December 2010, he's been on the project since January 2011 and became Mustang Design Manager this January.

I found this out when looking up a design proposal by Eugen Enns for the Evos concept and Curić was listed here instead with his resume. Look out for any design patents issued to him in case of a database leak somewhere down the road. Here's a list of what he's designed from Linkedin:

Currently leading the exterior design on Mustang. Previously led the exterior design on the 2012 Escape,Vertrek concept.
Have worked extensively in advanced and production studios here in the US as well as Ford of Europe in Cologne, Germany.
2012 Ford Escape,Kuga lead exterior designer.
2011 Ford Vertrek concept lead exterior designer.
2010 exterior designer New Ford Fusion/Mondeo 2012
2008-09 lead exterior designer Ford Focus III.
2007 interior designer Ford Kuga
2006 Iosis-X lead interior designer
2005 Iosis concept interior designer
2005 Ford KA lead interior designer
2004 Ford Fiesta interior


I'd think that the S550 design was decided on in late 2011 and frozen last summer, so that explains why full prototypes aren't running yet.

Good research. Had to look up what the Vertrek concept was... not bad. But the fact that he was the exterior designer of the new Fusion got me excited. They did a bang up job with that one. My excitement level for s550 just went

...and he likes the 1969 Mustang...
http://cardesigncommunity.com/articles/exclusive/interview/1526.html

Good find! The new escape and fusion are good looking cars, lets hope he keeps up the good work with the mustang.

p.s. glad he wasn't the exterior designer of the 2005 Ford KA, Yikes! LOL

Great info, kudos to both on finding these. It looks like this is his first involvement with the Mustang which makes me a little nervous. I do like his previous designs tho, the Fusion is very nice. Will repeat it again tho.... please make the Mustang unique.

It sounds like he really gets it tho:

"I think that’s the trick — to create a car which is timeless and puts forth a statement. Take for example the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing from 1955 or a Ford Mustang from 1969. Those cars are very desirable and fantastic cars without being too loud or over designed."

1969 Mustang.... good taste in muscle cars at least ;)

His rhetoric definitely nails it, now let's see them deliver.

Was your first link meant to be his linkedin? Are you saying Kuric was involved in the Evos concept? I'm glad to see someone who knows his Mustangs working on this and that he's been on since '11. Never good to have new project leads brought in late in the game.

Is it me or do some of his designs look like a few of the 2015 renders we've seen?







The Mustang one is from someone else and other 2 are from Curic. Not a bad thing, just saying. I hope he keeps his thinking about it not being over designed.

amk91 said:

I'd think that the S550 design was decided on in late 2011 and frozen last summer, so that explains why full prototypes aren't running yet.

Click to expand...

What do you mean by "frozen" ?.... you mean set in stone?

I would expect to see shots of full prototypes in the second half of this year. If we dont see any by then, something is wrong. And I would also expect a concept for it, maybe Detroit? The Evos doesn't count since it was not specifically for the Mustang.

I did a search and found some patents attributed to him that look like the Fusion and Vertrek. Could see some similar cues/technology but nothing Mustang yet. Still early though. A lot of times you'll see these patents not long before reveal. I doubt they would let anything get out too soon, especially before a prototype.

Our future lies with you Mr. Curic. Do us proud! :hail:

Here's his resume:

Am I a stalker yet?

Here's an interview with him from 2011.


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Kemal Curic is a Lead Exterior Designer at Ford. He was born in 1978 in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and moved to Germany in 1995, then studied industrial design at Wuppertal University between 1999 and 2003. In 2004 he began to works at Ford’s Interior Department and in 2005 he won Interior Motives Awards with his student project. In 2006 he transferred to Exterior Department – and then in 2011 to the Detroit studio.

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Achievements most proud of - position, designs, influences, new processes? Probably the last project Ford Vertek, But I also enjoyed working on the all-new Focus which is launching in both Europe and North America this spring. Was great to work on a production car that is ultimately one of the best-selling cars in the world!

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Your unique approach to design, what are you doing differently, what creative stimuli do you value?
My background is Interior design (Iosis X, Ford KA). You can see in these projects that I make a real effort to focus on the whole sculpture, which is very cohesive. Capturing almost repeating elements and graphics on the exterior — for an example, look to the mirrors of the Vertrek, where you can see the same amount of love in each detail — this attention makes the whole car look completed and unique.

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The challenge is not always to do something new; it's more about make something harmonious and appealing. Consider an artist and a painting that is something crazy and what no one ever saw it before: this approach might be dangerous because not many people will like it or understand it. With car design, it is all about finding the right balance, everything in the right time and place. With exterior design, it's all about proportion, volume and then graphics and technology.

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Personally, I get lots of inspiration from industrial design and Yacht design. I like the approach on Industrial Design where you can stay focused on details, and I really appreciate yacht designer because they have such a big surface to work with. One day, I would love to design a yacht with all the knowledge that I have learned as a car designer. I think it would be the ultimate design challenge!

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In a nut shell, the biggest challenge for you in your current position?
I just starting working full time at Ford world headquarters in Dearborn, in the United States, and that is a definitely a new challenge for me. At the same time, it is not too difficult as we have a new global strategy and clear direction from our J Mays, our global lead on design. This makes it easier for us to develop products as one team, one car for all the markets. And it does work. Great examples are the Fiesta and the new Ford Focus.

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Successful cars in Europe are also doing very well in North America, and it is true for some American cars in Europe. I think this is because consumers are looking for more expressive designs and more dynamic and efficient cars. With that said, what really makes our job easier — and what will make us more successful with our design strategy in the future — is that we really we understand our customers better than ever. Just look at the new Ford Vertrek concept we launched at the Detroit Auto Show last month. I’ve never worked on a project where they knew the customer better. That made our job easier.

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How have you changed over time as a designer?
Good Question coming from a school which taught me Industrial Design, to Interior Designer and then to Exterior Design.

That was quite interesting experience, and as a student I found each discipline exciting. I had a lot of fun working on product design and that background helped quite a lot in interior design, where you have to be more focused on functionality and less on pure styling.

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The first lessons I have learned in Exterior, in working for Martin Smith (our lead designer in Europe) was to see the whole picture instead just focusing on little details, which is what I use to do as a Product designer. I also have learned to be brave and try new ides!

It helps a lot when you learn from car design icons such as Martin Smith and J.Mays, who have been working for such a long time, designing all these spectacular cars.

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What is good (car) design in your view?
Good car design, as I noted earlier, is all about proportions of the car and how the car sits on the wheels and its overall appeal. Good cars show thoughtful designs, from inside to outside, a not a single senseless line, which is design overkill.

There is couple of ways to make nice design. For example, an Apple iPod is a very simple but unique looking product. Some might say it looks too simple or boring, but most will say it looks expensive, solid and timeless.

I think that’s the trick — to create a car which is timeless and puts forth a statement. Take for example the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing from 1955 or a Ford Mustang from 1969. Those cars are very desirable and fantastic cars without being too loud or over designed.

Nowadays, I see so many concept cars. OEMs are making one showcar after another, but very few of them create an statement!

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What do they think about Cardesign.ru?
I think it’s great. Every time we receive a portfolio from one of the Russian students, I am really impressed by the work and creativity. I like the special Photoshop style that I only see from Russian students! Really Cool.

My Cyrillic is pretty good and even tough I don’t understand everything; I'm definitely often visiting Cardesign.Ru to check out the latest news!

Ford Vertrek:

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Ford Focus:

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This guy is both lead exterior designer for Ford Europe and lead mustang designer for all of US..... must have a lot of influence over it. I like his sketches but definitely a lot more asian/european lookin.

Found his boss (I think) listed on some of those patents. Altho it sounds like Curic is THE design head for the mustang so may be more responsible for its looks.





Looks like he was responsible for the Evos.

His renders are quite nice although the Vertrek render looks nicer than the actual production. The head-on view has potential... I'd like to see what giving it a little Mustang design would look like.

Some talented people on this team who have an impressive portfolio. I think the 2015 is going to be a stunner.