Paul Wraith
The Architect
Structured and legacy-driven; builds the systems and institutions that last.
Paul Wraith earns The Architect designation by constructing design systems rather than singular objects. He built the Bronco's identity outward from user-journey mapping and the logic of an iconic nameplate, then engineered open-ended modularity so owners could complete the vehicle themselves.
“I would say, first of all, that I was told a long time ago that designers are like information filters. We just draw in this wild pile of information. We sort of push it through our brains and somehow it falls out of our hands and our pens in a form of cars. We're just filtering all this information all the time.”
“Manufacturers talk about platform strategies or which platform is this new vehicle based upon. So a degree of reuse is typical in the industry, but the platform can refer to the sort of otherwise usually hidden underbody of the vehicle. It can refer to the electrical infrastructure, the safety systems, and also powertrain as well.”
“To keep the door open to the cool ideas. I mean, I'm a designer. I won't be happy until I won't want to retire from this industry until I've made something that flies or there's been 3D printed in one go from graffine. So our imagination is always going to be out there.”
“And this is advice I give often because I'm in the fortune position to be able to employ people from college. And I guess what I always try and explain is not to try and emulate what they think that they should be doing with the car industry, but to form a point of view, have a point of view about what they think mobility should be about…”
Masters in Business: “Paul Wraith on the Design Business (Podcast)”
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