Today we’d like to introduce you to Earl Lucas Jr.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Earl. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Dallas, Texas and I am a graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts circa 1988. My design career spans over 20 years in the automotive industry were I have acquired well over 150 automotive design patents. I have worked and lived in the United Kingdom, Germany and traveled to China all because of my love for the automobile.
Highlights from my career include the current Lincoln Navigator – the winner of the 2018 North America International Auto Show Truck of the Year. The Lincoln MKS and the award-winning 2010 Ford Taurus, in which Lucas I lead the exterior redesign of Ford’s flagship sedan. I have been blessed to have won a number of design awards ranging from the Rainbow PUSH Trailblazer Award, the Ajamu Group – Visionary Award for Design and a Testimonial Resolution from the Detroit City Council – an award given for significant contribution by a city resident.
My career at Ford began in May of 1999 as a Senior Designer on the Ford F-150 interior design team. Prior to joining Ford – I worked for Reese Design, a small design firm that developed aircraft interiors for the Sultan of Brunei in Austin, Texas. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan with a concentration in transportation design.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges of my journey are centered around exposure to the automotive industry. Growing up in Oak Cliff did create a distance from my final destination but all things happen according to providence. The road to becoming a professional car designer for me was laced with more personal and self-inflicted obstacles however; I had help along the way. Friends and family assisted but really, the biggest challenge was me face me and me deciding to stay up late and doing another drawing, focus on the assignments and be my best at all times.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a career choice – I chose to be an automotive designer because of my love of drawing, creating shapes and the process of design. Ford Motor Company is a fantastic company rich with historic nameplates that have become part of American culture. I chose Ford because of the company has a family narrative to their brand and at the time of my job search the company was looking to grow their operation.
My most proud moment with Ford Motor Company was coming back home to visit my parents in Texas. They had decided to purchase a 2010 Ford Taurus a product near and dear to my heart. The Taurus was an automobile that I allowed to participate in the exterior design. How many people get to say that the car that their love ones drive is something they help to design.
Although my career at Ford Motor Company has been fantastic; however I am truly immersed in a personal project named – Project DIVA. The vision of Project DIVA is to assist and guide the growth of young ladies into DIVA’s from the perspective of an all-seeing Father. In this context DIVA is an acronym that stands for Divine, Intelligent, Virtuous and Ambitious. Project DIVA is a counter-point to mainstream society that tells young women who and how they should be and behave.
Project DIVA – is comprised of three parts: posters, a book and workshops all designed around assisting young ladies to adulthood.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My childhood was an extremely happy one. I was born to parents that wanted more for me than they every had themselves and a sister who was very protective of her little brother. Because my father was extremely popular within our greater family, my birth and existence was every relative we visited, I was received with open and loving arms.
My favorite childhood moments pivot around my love of drawing and painting. I was around 1o or 11 years old, my mother by this point knew my love of creating. She decided to purchase a drawing table which allowed my creativity to grow because I now had a designated place to create. My parents told me that as a child, they could never punish me by exiling me to my room because it would only mean that I would spend more time at that table.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.projdiva.com
- Phone: 12482961307
- Email: elucas1@projdiva.com
- Facebook: Earl Lucas
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