The resulting cross-fertilization is remarkable in an industry where automakers increasingly treat brand image as their most valuable treasure. Design is a discipline that transcends company boundaries. Young designers are generally educated in the same schools. The most famous in Europe is London's Royal College of Art. In the USA, the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit has begun to overshadow the previous leader, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
Designers are a closely-knit group.
They gather at every international motor show at the designer-night events and stay in contact for years. In such an environment, it is much easier to move from company to company. There is also turnover at the top of styling centers, and any new boss tends to build his own team. The exception to the rule is probably Mercedes-Benz, where the Italian Bruno Sacco headed the design center for more than a quarter of a century before retiring in early 1999. That exception may explain the continuity of Mercedes-Benz design over that same period.