Daniel Simon (born 1975) is a German concept designer and automotive futurist[1] best known for his visionary book Cosmic Motors.[2]
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Simon was raised in the north of Germany (Stralsund) and obtained his degree in Vehicle Design (University of applied science, Pforzheim).
He began his design career in 1999 at Volkswagen (Wolfsburg) under the control of Hartmut Warkuss and designed cars for Seat and Lamborghini under the supervision of Walter de'Silva. In 2001 he was contracted by the Volkswagen Group's Advanced Studio (Design Center Europe, Sitges), where Simon also participated in the reincarnation of the Bugatti brand.
In 2005 Simon left the Volkswagen Group as a Senior Designer[3] after completing a concept car supervision.
In 2005 he founded Daniel Simon Studio, his Berlin based design consultancy, that offers design services to major clients within the automotive industry as well as movie studios. In parallel Simon designs futuristic virtual vehicles for his brand Cosmic Motors. Simon is also part of the Hollywood Concept Design Group.[4]
In 2007 his futurist vehicle designs were exclusively released by California-based publisher Design Studio Press. The book Cosmic Motors contains text in English and German. This 176 page design portfolio was also released in Japanese by Japanese publisher Born Digital. The book is supported with positive critics from design icons like Chris Bangle, Freeman Thomas, Syd Mead and Ryan Church.[5][6]
In 2011, Simon was appointed to "create a dynamic new corporate image" for the Hispania Formula One team's second season in Formula 1.[7] He designed the livery of the team's F111 car, using red, black and white on the car and depicting a chequered flag on its side.
Simon is the vehicle designer on Tron: Legacy, the sequel to 1982's Tron by the Disney Studios.[8][9]