From 23 June till 3 July of the current year in the Internet portal cardesign.ru was held the contest «Sketch fighter School Polytechnic of Design (Sketch Fighter SPD-2014)».

The main prize — free tuition of the master program in vehicle design in one of Europe’s leading schools of design, Scuola Politecnica di Design located in Milan. To complete the task in each round participants were provided a day. Sketch Fighter 2014 consisted of five rounds, the winner will be determined by the representatives of the SPD. The jury SPD Director Antonello Fusetti (Antonello Fusetti), professors of the program Car design Master SPD and designers from Volkswagen Group. In this contest he took an active part our compatriot from Vyksa — Nikita Medelets.

Nikita is the second child in the family, and the parents have already had the experience of raising heirs. Being a humane people, they followed the principle: let the youngest do whatever he wants that is so much better…

Baby, as soon as I heard that there are «toys», such as pencils, began enthusiastically scribbles them on paper. First, it turned out just beautiful lines, then they took form. Parents rejoiced: he can paint, develops tactile. Each time the image gets all the more interesting. And once the New year the child was given the first «masterpiece»: winter, evening, light falling from the window of a cute house, horse driven carriage, and in it Santa Claus. And coming from children’s drawing, luminous colours, the anticipation of a holiday… the family was surprised: «Nikita, did he draw that?» «Yeah, what?»

In five years, he attended art school. Here noticed. Parents explained that no good deed goes unpunished, they say, later explain to son, to not suffer a career choice. And the child began to draw some fantastic horses, locomotives, tanks, planes, spaceships, robots. All with the filing of the father — a graduate from the prestigious Moscow aviation Institute.

One of the frequent guests in the house, a family friend, aircraft engineer-designer has told me a lot about his work. Listening to him, Nikita was once painted a rocket in the section with the smallest details. The designer was shocked: «How do you know?» The boy innocently said: «It comes from my mind». Of course, a friend asked him to give a figure. And he’s sorry for what? Especially for a friend of the father! The designer posted the picture on the wall of his office and impressed colleagues, visitors, indicating that the author… five years!


Love the aircraft continued, supported by his father, Alexander Nikolaevich, an big fan of the winged cars. Nikita bought a prefabricated plastic scale model, he enthusiastically they were glued and painted. Father went on annually held the Moscow aerospace show (MAKS). Took place and the happiest trip went to Savasleika air base, when there came the American pilots. There’s Nikita drew airplanes with nature! And drawings presented to the astonished pilots on the memory.

By the way, still in the second grade he had to think, who to be? «The artist does not want — everything is already drawn!» And in the third grade said that will probably be the designer (the term was at the hearing) aircraft. «What kind of design?!» asked in art school. «And inside the plane there is — salon». This idea was prompted by the aircraft.

Here, perhaps, the starting point on the way to the future of the profession. Helped commitment, there are no alternatives to air design was not provided. However, in 9th and 10th grades, like many of their peers flashed and it’s been a serious passion of Taekwondo. With a certificate of the gymnasium and honors art school the boy went to Nizhny Novgorod, looked Nizhny Novgorod art College. Liked it, but do become in the Nizhny Novgorod state University of architecture and construction the Department of architecture. But gleaning points. Teachers, conversing with Nikita after exams, reassured him that he was with the wrong Department, and that his place at the faculty of industrial design. Which he did the following year admitted to the Department of design at the same University.

So appeared on the horizon His Majesty the auto industry as the scope of application of force. The first decade of the twenty-first century was given to the school. In 2009 Nikita graduated with honors from the University. But… every man should serve in the army. And when Nikita came in Vyksa city military Commissariat with the words: «Graduated from University, now in the army,» the Commissar said clearly: «We in the army guys with red diplomas are also needed». He served a year in Tula, in the Tula artillery engineering Institute. And on the second day after demobilization, the benefit of the road home led through Moscow, pay a visit to several Metropolitan universities… admission to graduate school. So life on «citizen» began with exams in graduate school at the all-Russian research Institute of technical aesthetics, where in 2013 he defended his thesis under the modest, but significant title «the Factors of shaping of the car (the technological aspect)» — the candidate of art criticism more visible that it affects…

— Nikita, what roads lay before the young Russian specialist?

— Privately passed (almost a tourist) on the centers of the automotive industry in Italy (Maranello, Sant’agata Bolognese). Russian youth greeted kindly. Show «good person», entice unobtrusive, I propose (and will not) conduct test drives most prestigious brands, as well as keep for your portfolio. You carefully consider, evaluate, examine, but do not hurry with the estimates.


The concept of the restyling of the Opel Astra GTC (author Nikita Medelets)

— Is it difficult to find yourself in our country as an industrial designer?

— Perhaps, like any highly skilled specialist. A simple work — a lot! And here is one that I would like to do, you have to look. To work and consumer goods, aircraft manufacturing, mechanical engineering, production of high-tech toys, etc., etc. Necessarily need to say and remind myself. And not only in professional publications and online journals (there were 13). It is necessary to promote their development on a variety of creative, design contests. I sent your portfolio to the Vase competitions in the US on a competition to design the presidential motorcade… Have to try: «hay for the horse does not go». Examples before my eyes, at all the major carmakers in Europe, America, Japan «plow» young Russian designers. For example, one of the guys who graduated from art school, works as a designer for the BMW group in Germany!

— Next plans?

Well, I’m not only one who is «car dreamer». It would be great to have the same guys from Vyksa, a team of students who studied, became a designer; in short, to unite the group and to take on their projects.

I want to arrange in our domestic museum some exhibition of my works, and give a master class to show how to create the image of a modern car on a computer graphic tablet. Currently I involved as a designer in the creation of an electric vehicle for students with the purpose of acquiring the basic skills of driving. This work is supported by Moscow state technical University of Radioengineering, electronics and automation. We hope, if circumstances permit, soon to launch in limited production.

So listen young and begin to hope that in the new century rejuvenation of existence will not stop. If you are interested in creativity of the designer form Vyksa, visit his website: nikitamedelets.blogspot.com .